Iga Swiatek responds when asked to compare her current level to how she was playing at the French Open last year

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Iga Swiatek is no longer French Open champion following Thursday’s semi-final defeat.

The Pole was perhaps more vulnerable entering the clay court Grand Slam this season than any other, after failing to win a tournament since her triumph in Paris a year ago.

The 23-year-old suffered some crushing defeats this season and her Roland Garros was under huge threat.

Swiatek escaped defeat against Elena Rybakina in the fourth round and battled through to the last four, but it was one step too far as Aryna Sabalenka ended Swiatek’s win streak in Paris at 26 matches.

Iga Swiatek compared her current level to when she won the 2024 French Open

For the majority of the last five seasons, Iga Swiatek had been the dominant force on clay.

She has won each of the Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros titles and did so with ruthlessness and precision on court.

But that was not the case in 2025, as Swiatek failed to even make a final on clay and there will now be a new champion crowned at the French Open.

Things have changed drastically a year on from 2024 success in Paris, but Swiatek saw things differently as she compared her current level with a year ago. “It’s similar,” Swiatek told reporters following her French Open exit.

“I think these tournaments are similar in that when I played with Naomi [Osaka], who plays very fast and also went for it and started playing very aggressively and flat, I was also in trouble, just like today.

“With the roof covered, with slightly heavier balls that didn’t hump when I wanted to add spin like I did throughout the tournament. On the other hand it was a bit easier to play when it was a bit warmer and I could simply add more spin to my balls.

“From a purely tennis perspective I would say it’s a similar tournament. Here I definitely had a tougher bracket, because last year when I beat Naomi I felt all the matches went smoothly, while here it was practically a fight in every match.

“Each tournament is also different when it comes to the brackets so if someone wants to win they have to beat everyone and that’s it.”

What is next for Iga Swiatek?

Swiatek has plenty of work to do as she seeks her first title in a year.

With the clay court season now in the rearview mirror, the attention will turn toward the grass court campaign, a portion of the season that has not been kind to the World number five so far.

Reports emerged following her Madrid Open exit that Swiatek could skip the grass court season, but she denied those claims and Swiatek is set to compete at Wimbledon.

However, she will have some time off before turning attention to the slick , fast and low-bouncing surface.

“I’m going to have a few days off, but the coaches will plan that,” she said. “Hopefully we’re going to have some decent kind of little preseason on grass.

“It’s always been pretty hard to have that, especially when I want to be at home for a little bit. But I don’t feel like I need to be home right now, so maybe I’ll go somewhere in Europe to practice.”