Iga Swiatek will continue her search for a maiden title of 2026 at Roland Garros, where she boasts a stunning record.
Swiatek has reached the final of Roland Garros on four occasions, with the Pole emerging victorious in all four matches.
But 2026 has been somewhat of a transition season so far for Swiatek, who replaced Wim Fissette with Francisco Roig in her coaching team.
With that new partnership, Swiatek trained with Rafael Nadal at the start of her clay-court swing, with Roig having previously worked with the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Swiatek training with Nadal concerned Jessica Pegula, with Mats Wilander now sharing his take on the Pole following that link-up at his academy.
Where do you think she will be ranked?
Mats Wilander asks question of Iga Swiatek before Roland Garros
Seven-time Grand Slam winner and former world number one Wilander told TNT Sports: “Obviously we’ve heard over the years that Iga Swiatek was such a huge, huge fan of Rafael Nadal, and I think that the style that she played her clay court tennis a few years back when she was dominating, was kind of reminiscent of the way Rafa played on the clay court, and I think she’s trying to get back to that.
“But it’s not only a physical thing, it’s also a mental thing. Are you willing to play slightly more passive?
“Are you willing to allow players to play more offensive against you and rely on your best skills, which are the defensive skills just like Rafael Nadal had his defensive skills?”
Wilander added: “She’s definitely in that first tier of players that can win the French Open.”
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Iga Swiatek made a fantastic decision to train with Rafael Nadal
It remains to be seen what approach Swiatek will adopt at Roland Garros, which she enters on the back of a semifinal run in Rome.
But one certainty is that she will have learned a lot from Nadal, regardless of how brief their training may have been.
The legendary Spanish figure clearly has vast knowledge to pass on to the WTA number three, both on a physical and mental level.
And while Swiatek already boasts a superb four Grand Slam titles on clay, Nadal’s 14 Roland Garros titles show that there is plenty more success to be secured on the surface for her.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
| Win | 2020 | French Open | Clay | Sofia Kenin | 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 2022 | French Open | Clay | Coco Gauff | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Win | 2022 | US Open | Hard | Ons Jabeur | 6–2, 7–6(7–5) |
| Win | 2023 | French Open | Clay | Karolina Muchova | 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 |
| Win | 2024 | French Open | Clay | Jasmine Paolini | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 2025 | Wimbledon | Grass | Amanda Anisimova | 6-0, 6-0 |
Roig will, of course, now take centre stage in terms of the Pole’s coaching time in Paris, with their partnership perhaps set to finally come together at the perfect time.
Swiatek is currently 18-9 for the 2026 season, and has thus far failed to add to her stunning tally of 25 career titles.
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