Rafael Nadal was amazed by Katie Swan's game at United Cup 2023, the British star reveals her feelings about it

Rafael Nadal’s presence at the 2023 United Cup was appreciated by his fans and colleagues alike. The tennis legend represented his country Spain in the inaugural edition of the mixed-gender tournament in Sydney.

While the Spanish team failed to make it past the group stage, having lost to both Great Britain and Australia in the round robin encounters, playing in front of the 22-time Grand Slam champion was a significant moment for young and upcoming players.

Recently, Katie Swan of Great Britain, who bagged an exciting three-sets victory over Spain’s Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, shared a video of herself executing an ace to perfection, with Nadal applauding her efforts in the background.

"Good stuff," the Spaniard uttered.

Swan, meanwhile, conveyed that she surprised herself by maintaining her composure in front of one of the greatest of all time.

"Didn’t expect to be this calm around Rafa," she said on Instagram, "Will be keeping that last video for a while."

British star Harriet Dart and Australian Samantha Stosur also expressed that they were star-struck by Nadal at the United Cup.

"Days like these two help" - Rafael Nadal on participating in the United Cup ahead of the Australian Open

Rafael Nadal and his team in Melbourne ahead of Australian Open 2023

Although Rafael Nadal’s presence enlivened the United Cup, his campaign with Spain didn’t go as planned. The 36-year-old lost both his encounters — against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie and Australia’s Alex de Minaur.

Nonetheless, the 2022 Australian Open champion, who recently reached Melbourne ahead of defending his title at the Rod Laver Arena, decided to take the positives from his showing at the tournament and was determined to keep fighting.

"Well, six hours on court almost. I need hours on court. I need battles like this. Didn't play much official matches the last six months, almost seven. Yeah, days like these two help. Of course with victories the process is faster, but I need to keep fighting, that's it," he said.

He said that while the "situation is not ideal," there were moments where he was playing well.

"I have two weeks before the Australian Open starts. I can't say that the situation is ideal, but at the same time, I can't say that it's very negative, because for moments I was playing good. I think that two matches is gonna help me. I need to win couple of matches."

He added:

"But the level was not that bad. Putting in perspective that I arrived needing a little bit more time."

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