There can’t be much else in this world that compares to the feeling of winning one’s first Wimbledon title, and right now, Iga Świątek must be over the moon if she’s able to grasp the reality of what has just happened. Not only has the young star won the first ever Wimbledon title for her country, but she has done so without conceding a single set to her opponent and in a remarkable 57 minutes. Now, on top of that, she’s getting some praise from her lifelong idol, Rafael Nadal! If her arms weren’t worked out enough in that rapid-fire match, then surely they’ll be sore from her pinching herself to check if this is all real.

But real it is, despite being unable to make it to the Wimbledon finals this year on account of his wife being 8 months pregnant with their second child. After witnessing the historic double-bagel win from his home in Mallorca, where the legend is reportedly spending his first summer, he didn’t fail to commemorate both Świątek and Amanda Anisimova with a story on his Instagram page.

“Congrats, @iga.swiatek.” Nadal wrote under an image of the star holding the ladies finals trophy on the famous grass court, and below it the lines “Be proud, @amandaanisimova! Grand Slam finalist!” Now, while to many this may just seem like the routine congratulatory messages that circle around the tennis community, to Iga Świątek, this message will surely carry a lot more weight than just that.

Iga Świątek has long made clear that Rafael Nadal is one of her biggest inspirations, if not the biggest inspiration on the court, especially the clay court. Often credited for Świątek’s early wins at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal ended up inviting Świątek to speak at a graduation ceremony at his tennis academy. Świątek used this as an opportunity to further profess her admiration for her idol, saying, “Thank you for that and thank you for being such an amazing person off the court as well. Your humility is something that is not so [common] when you see other athletes succeeding. You’re the one that always stayed honest with himself and true to himself. Thank you for being such a good person.” And now it seems like the respect is mutual, with Świątek also proving herself on the grass.

How Iga Świątek seems to be paving a path for herself similar to her idol Rafael Nadal

Świątek’s admiration for Nadal runs deep; she is not only a fan of his game but also seems to be following in his trajectory. It is widely known that Rafael Nadal has the incomparable record of 14 French Open titles, a hard one to contest with. Swiatek, however, at just 24, could be on her way there, as she already has four, plus her first Wimbledon title this year.

Let’s be honest, things weren’t looking great for Iga Świątek earlier on in the year, after her coaching change and new partnership with Wim Fissette, she didn’t fare as well on clay as she was expected to this time around, however, Nadal also had a couple of losses on the court where he mostly reigned supreme, four losses to be precise, amongst those 14 wins (for a little balance), the point being, there is hope yet for Świątek to come back around stronger next year.

Now, however, Świątek is onto something new; her game seemed better than ever, and before she even won, Nadal admitted to her being one of his favorite players, and, of course, to Świątek, Nadal wasn’t the G.O.A.T. on clay, but all around, with the player having been quoted as saying, “With Rafa. Everybody always talked about clay, but like he’s the GOAT (greatest of all time) basically on every surface,” she added, with regard to herself. “It’s just physics. On clay, it’s going to be a bit easier because my topspin will jump higher and my movements will be maybe better than what other girls can bring with the sliding and changing direction. But on hard courts, I feel like I’m a good player as well.” And she’s not wrong ladies and gentlemen, as her newest title will prove! Now, don’t miss a moment—get minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships on EssentiallySports.