Iga Swiatek has not had her usual preparation heading into this year’s French Open.
Swiatek is a four-time French Open champion, and will be bidding to win a fourth consecutive title in Paris this year.
However, she has had a far from ideal build-up to the clay court major, with Swiatek losing to Danielle Collins in the third round of the Italian Open.
As a result she has fallen down to world number five, her lowest ranking in over three years, as crisis talks for Swiatek are building ahead of her most successful Grand Slam tournament.
Amelie Mauresmo says what is the key for Iga Swiatek at the French Open
Swiatek has been dominant at Roland Garros over the years, having lost only two of her 37 matches at the tournament.
However, due to her ranking drop could be forced to play world number one Aryna Sabalenka as early as the quarter-finals.
When previewing Swiatek’s chances in Paris, French Open tournament director and former world number one Amelie Mauresmo has told Eurosport France what she believes the key will be for the 23-year-old if she is to triumph once again.
“I think that she can still have a chance,” said Mauresmo. “I think the beginning of the tournament will be key, definitely, to have this confidence going again. You need these first few matches, one, two, three, to get the rhythm going, get the confidence a little bit higher, getting it up a little bit.
“But Iga on this court is always dangerous. She’s always going to be a problem to any player she’s going to face. Now, the fact that she’s coming here with confidence being pretty low is probably something new for her. It’s also going to be interesting to see how she reacts to this mentally.”
| Year | Iga Swiatek’s Performance at Roland Garros |
| 2019 | Fourth Round |
| 2020 | Won the title |
| 2021 | Quarter-final |
| 2022 | Won the title |
| 2023 | Won the title |
| 2024 | Won the title |
Amelie Mauresmo gives her verdict on why Iga Swiatek came to Roland Garros early
After suffering a shock early exit in Rome, Swiatek headed to Roland Garros to get some preparation over a week before the main draw starts.
When questioned over why the three-time defending champion’s early arrival, Mauresmo welcomed the decision and suggested that Swiatek may have wanted to get familiar with Court Philippe-Chatrier once again.
“She came very early this year, and she hasn’t had many wins on the clay this year,” said Mauresmo. “I’m thinking she wants to really take the atmosphere of this centre court, the court she loves, maybe her favourite court on the planet.
“It’s nice to see her come so early. I think it’s one of the first times that we have this kind of player, a high-profile player, coming so early in the tournament.
“Usually, it happens at the beginning of next week, like Monday of the opening week, Monday, Tuesday, Monday, most of the time. But I guess she needs to practice on-site, and that’s what she feels she needs. We’re happy to have her here.”
Swiatek will discover her fate when the Roland Garros draw takes place on Thursday May 22, with the tournament commencing on Sunday May 25.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
