Former world No 1 reveals her wish for ‘smart and ambitious’ Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek is eyeing a bit of history at the Australian Open and Justine Henin believes the Pole “is a champion” and has the “character” to realise the dream.
Six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek started her 2026 season-opening Grand Slam with a challenging win over Yuan Yue as she twice found herself behind on serve in the opening set before finding her rhythm to complete a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 win.
While some were concerned with her performance against Yuan, the second seed believes it is good to face stiff competition early on at a Grand Slam in order to get rid of any rust.
“It is true that if you play many long matches, the body feels it, but if you start with easy matches and then face a tough one, you may feel rusty,” she explained.
“I have experienced both situations. It doesn’t help to overanalyse them. The important thing is to learn from what happened and be prepared for the next match.”
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With the opening match under her belt, the Pole is now just six wins away from becoming only the seventh woman to achieve the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era.
The 24-year-old completed the Surface Slam in 2025 after adding Wimbledon to four French Open titles (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and 2022 US Open trophy, leaving her just an Australian Open crown shy of winning all four majors.
The world No 2 hopes to follow in the footsteps of Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
Henin came close to joining that list as she won the French Open four times, US Open twice and the Australian Open once. However, she came up short in the Wimbledon finals in 2001 and 2006.
In an interview with TNT Sport and Eurosport, Henin said: “I hope she can win the Australian Open. It’s very special to chase the one you haven’t won. I chased Wimbledon for years and never made it — it’s a challenge, but a positive one.
“Iga is a champion; she has that in her character and she’s proved it, even in difficult times. Being world number one and a superstar in her country brings enormous pressure.
“She handles it — with ups and downs, which is completely normal — but usually she finds a way. What’s next depends on her motivation, which she still has.
“She’s young, and as long as the balance in her life is right, mentally and physically, she can stay at the top. That balance is harder to find these days. But she is smart and ambitious, so I really hope she can make it.”
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