Iga Swiatek looks set for the toughest French Open of her career so far.
Title defence is always tricky, particularly at Grand Slams, and the Pole is searching for her fifth title in Paris and her fourth in a row.
But for the first time since 2021, Iga Swiatek will not enter the tournament as the top seed and is in fact seeded at number five this season.
As a result, Swiatek has a very tough French Open draw and she will face one of the top four seeded players as early as the quarter-finals.
Andy Roddick predicts how far Iga Swiatek can go at the French Open
The French Open draw has been revealed and Swiatek has the likes of Elena Rybakina, Belinda Bencic and Jelena Ostapenko in her section.
The 23-year-old can face Emma Raducanu in the second round, Marta Kostyuk in round three and either Rybakina or Ostapenko in the last 16.
2024 French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini or Elina Svitolina could face each other in the quarter-finals, while World number Aryna Sabalenka or Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng could do battle in the semi-finals.
Should Swiatek reach the French Open final, a match Coco Gauff could take place, or a matchup with Madison Keys or Mirra Andreeva. Assessing the draw, Roddick understands it’s a difficult one for Swiatek, but still backs her to reach the semi-finals.
“This is a brutal draw. Weirdly – and here is where I’m going with this – sometimes knowing that you get a brutal draw kind of locks you in, Roddick said via his ‘Served’ podcast. “I could argue that she needs to be ready to go from the word go.
“I am going to pay my respects. Iga Swiatek to the semis. We have to have some semblance of respect for this. But she has the most brutal draw on either side, men’s or women’s.”
What is at stake for Iga Swiatek at the French Open?
Swiatek is aiming for her fifth French Open title, which would put her third on the all-time WTA list in the Open Era, behind Steffi Graf and Chris Evert.
She will also try to become the first woman in the Open Era to win Roland Garros four times in a row and further establish her prowess on the surface.
But Swiatek will enter the tournament with just six wins on clay so far this season and no titles to her name following defeats in Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome. That being said, she is ready to give her all and fight for the title once again.
“Sometimes you can start the Grand Slam in really bad shape and not playing perfectly, but then find your game during,” Swiatek told BBC Sport.
“This is a two-week tournament so I think it’s impossible to peak for the whole event – you just need to kind of survive.”
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