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Such has been the Rafa-sized affect of 1 participant at Roland Garros that conversations and celebrations across the others invariably pass beneath the radar.
About time we communicate Iga Swiatek. She’s at the cusp of becoming a member of Justine Henin, having finished a run closing ticked off by way of Serena Williams. Being discussed in the similar league as those legends isn’t any imply feat, particularly on clay and within the trendy girls’s recreation the place retaining directly to trophies has confirmed some distance more difficult than successful them.
That’s the place Swiatek stands proud at French Open. The 2-time protecting champion stays the girl to overcome going for a three-peat in Paris, a testomony to the arena No. 1’s provide shape and previous grip at the clay-court Slam no lady were ready to win two times in a row in 16 years.
Till the Pole did her dance at the grime closing 12 months, gobbling up 3 bagels (6-0 set victories) whilst littering only one set in protecting her crown. Swiatek will now bid to turn out to be the primary lady to stroll away with 3 directly French Open titles since Henin in 2007. Just one different lady has finished that within the Open technology (Monica Seles, from 1990 to 1992), whilst Serena used to be the closing lady to win 3 at the leap in any Slam a decade in the past (US Open, from 2012 to 2014).
Upload Swiatek’s first Roland Garros name in 2020 as an adolescent and such stranglehold on a Slam does not come about too incessantly within the girls’s recreation. Not at all lately.
Even rarer? A lady sweeping clay-court titles in Madrid, Rome and Paris in the similar season. Simplest Serena has finished that during 2013. Swiatek has knocked off Madrid and Rome in 2024 and, on the doorsteps of Paris, is sporting that momentum, shape and trust.
After a surprise third-round go out on the Australian Open, Swiatek picked herself up very quickly. A troublesome-court name in Doha in her subsequent event adopted, after which the Indian Wells trophy. Clay is the place she really comes into her personal, like she did within the two primary WTA tournaments main into the French Open. She breezed thru Madrid and Rome losing simply two units (none in Rome), defeating Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in each finals and changing into simply the 0.33 lady to bag the “grimy double” after Dinara Safina (2009) and Serena (2013).
Clean and elegant in Paris, Swiatek is 28-2 in her 5 appearances at French Open, the most productive win-loss ratio by way of a girl in her first 30 fits after Seles and Chris Evert. The 22-year-old’s motion on clay is phenomenal, her energy and precision from the baseline superb and defence environment friendly. She will be able to slide and ruin alike, feeling at house on clay.
No marvel Evert, a file seven-time French Open champion, informed the Related Press she believes Swiatek can pass previous her. Or that Amelie Mauresmo, the previous French global No. 1 and present French Open event director, doesn’t see her “preventing any time quickly”.
“How she performs on clay, and the way she’s ready to play in Roland Garros — now not best her recreation however the power she now begins to stand when she will get to Roland Garros and the way she handles that — it presentations that she may have a lot more,” Mauresmo informed the French Open podcast.
“I like seeing her play at Roland Garros and on clay. She seems like she has a distinct frame of mind there. So yeah, she’s spectacular and she or he’s coming as a favorite as soon as once more this 12 months.”
A tough draw, alternatively, will check the protecting champion. After the primary around, four-time Slam winner Naomi Osaka, at the comeback path with some excellent wins in Rome, most likely awaits. So does 2021 champion Barbora Krejcikova, who has overwhelmed Swiatek of their closing two conferences, two rounds later.
Her extra acquainted foes, must the seedings are living as much as standing, may well be round too. Sabalenka, bad on arduous courts who’s but to head past the semi-finals at French Open, has felt higher at the grime this 12 months. She reached the general in Madrid and Rome best to fulfill the Swiatek wall. US Open champion Coco Gauff has entered the second one week in Paris for the closing 3 years — she misplaced to Swiatek within the 2022 ultimate — and is wiser by way of Slam successful enjoy now. Rybakina hasn’t relatively roared at Roland Garros however comes with a clay-court name this season.
Eye at the Olympics
Swiatek, despite the fact that, has further incentive to excel in Paris this 12 months. A few months later, she could be again at the clay courts of Roland Garros for the Olympics, which is a huge function for her. Extra so together with her father being an Olympian — Tomasz used to be a member of Poland’s Quadruple Sculls males’s rowing staff within the 1988 Seoul Video games — and the Tokyo Video games finishing in unhappiness (Swiatek misplaced in the second one around).
“In Tokyo, I take note how tense it used to be,” she stated on Thursday. “This 12 months I’m seeking to truly stay my expectancies low however truly paintings arduous to be ready for the Olympics.”
A 3rd directly French Open triumph could be perfect preparation.