French Open: Iga Swiatek ‘looks impossible to beat’, according to former world No 1
Iga Swiatek kicked off her 2026 French Open campaign with an emphatic win over Emerson Jones, resulting in former world No 1 Mats Wilander declaring that she “looks impossible” to beat on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The four-time Roland Garros champion made a sluggish start to the clay-court swing as she lost her second match at the Stuttgart Open and then retired due to illness from her round of 32 match against Ann Li at the Madrid Open.
But she found some form at the Italian Open as she reached her first semi-final of the year before losing in three sets against Elina Svitolina, but there were certainly signs that the “old” Swiatek was back during her run in Rome.
And she looked in good nick again during her opening match against Emerson in Paris, beating the wildcard 6-1, 6-2 in exactly an hour.
During her on-court interview, Swiatek stated: “I’m just really happy to play on this court. First matches are always also for getting used to the conditions and everything. I’m really happy with the way I played today, tactically, and I felt the ball good. So it was a good first match for sure.”
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TNT Sports expert Mats Wilander was quick to declare that Swiatek has found her best form again and believes she made a tweak to her game.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner, who won three titles at Roland Garros, said: “She’s playing better. She’s playing a little bit further behind the baseline. When you watch her play on this court, the ball is bouncing so high.
“It looks impossible to beat Iga Swiatek on this court. I know it is possible, but I like she’s not being so aggressive. She was being super, super aggressive the last few years, and it hasn’t really worked. Right now, she’s back.”
Wilander’s colleague, former world No 5 Henri Leconte – who finished runner-up to Wilander in the 1988 French Open final, believes the work with Francisco Roig – who replaced Wim Fissette as Swiatek’s coach after the Miami Open in March – is evident.
“She’s back where she wants, the French Open, stay on the baseline and go for the shots,” the Frenchman said.
“Moving better. I think the work she did with Roig, that helps a lot. When she’s playing like that, she can be dangerous. You can think about her [as a title contender].”
But while many believe her previous experience puts her in good stead at this year’s French Open, Swiatek is not getting carried away after her first-round win.
“Nothing comes easy. Honestly I feel like with more titles it’s even a bit harder because everyone expects you to be ready always and play perfectly,” she said.
“You need to stay humble and not take anything for granted and work your way from the beginning of the tournament to play good.
“Especially after Rome where it was pretty cold and much more heavy, the court seems totally different here. You need to adjust for sure.”
*Mats Wilander and Herni Leconte will feature as part of TNT Sports’ Roland-Garros coverage*
*Every match of Roland-Garros is live across TNT Sports and HBO Max*.
