PARIS: Iga Swiatek acknowledges she is the favorite and “confident” ahead of her bid to become only the fourth woman to secure four Roland Garros singles titles in the Open era.
The world No. 1 could also become the first player to lift three consecutive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007. She is a strong favorite following dominating on clay again this season, arriving in Paris off the back of WTA 1000 wins in Madrid and Rome. The only female player in history to contest a Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros treble in the same season is Serena Williams.
She told the reporters, “I am No. 1 so I am the favorite everywhere if you look at rankings.” She expressed hope that she would play great tennis in upcoming days.
With four Grand Slam titles, Iga Swiatek has not struggled to translate that form to the mega tournaments in the past, but insists it is tougher to lift the sport’s biggest titles. She said that Grand Slams are completely different and there is different pressure on the court and off the court.
She said that she will be happy to visit Paris again. The tennis star is aiming to join Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Henin in lifting the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen four times in the Open era. Swiatek faces tough opponents like Aryna Sabalenka, who is determined to challenge her rival’s reign. As the tournament approaches, the stage is set for a gripping showdown between these tennis titans, with emerging talents like Coco Gauff adding to the intrigue of the competition.
