Justine Henin believes Iga Swiatek has been in a “vicious circle of hurt” since last year’s French Open, and it could come to a head on her return to Paris.
Swiatek has had a difficult start to 2024, with even a switch to her favourite surface of clay yet to bring out her very best.
Indeed, in Madrid she was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by Coco Gauff, and in Stuttgart and Rome she lost to two opponents who have caused her problems in the past, Jelena Ostapenko and Danielle Collins.
Swiatek will now head to the French Open having not won a title since her victory at the Grand Slam a year ago.
Former world No. 1 Henin thinks Swiatek’s recent struggles on clay are causing her “hurt”.
“It wasn’t a problem until now. Now we are on the clay that she loves so much, approaching the tournament that she has won four times, if there was a time to find herself, it was now,” Henin told Eurosport France.
“Now, it will take on another level. Against Collins [in Rome], she went through a very complex emotional state. She arrived at the press conference with red eyes. You can feel that it hurts, deep down.”
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Henin thinks Swiatek’s recent struggles can even be traced back to last year’s French Open, most notably when she rebuked the crowd for making noises during points after her battling win over Naomi Osaka in the second round.
“In her speech to the crowd after her victory against Osaka, we already felt that she was not particularly well, she was off the subject, on edge,” said Henin.
“I think it had been very hard to go and get this title. She’s been going through complex things for a while. I think one of the bases is her very perfectionist side. She wants to do things in a certain way.
“The status she has had, the domination she has had, especially on clay. We felt at certain moments in her young career how much pressure it was sometimes difficult to bear.”
Swiatek has been the dominant force on clay since 2022, winning three straight French Open titles to add to the one she won as a 19-year-old in 2020.
But last year was not plain sailing as she split with long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and was also given a one-month suspension after a positive test for a banned substance.
This will be the first time she hasn’t won a clay title in the lead-up to the French Open since 2020.
Swiatek could also enter the Grand Slam as world No. 4, which would be her lowest ranking since early 2022.
“The fact of feeling that her game on other surfaces was not evolving as quickly as she thought or wanted weighed [on her],” added Henin.
“Her victory at the US Open [in 2022] was not enough to free her. Something was gradually setting in. There is competition that is progressing.
“All of this puts pressure on her. She’s in a vicious circle. It’s not surprising to see her struggling.
“But perhaps this is the moment when it needs to explode, so that things come out, so that she can analyse, understand what is happening to the great perfectionist that she is.
“We say to ourselves that it’s perhaps there, at Roland-Garros, that she’ll finally sink before, perhaps, starting again.”
Gauff: Expect best from Swiatek in Paris
Swiatek’s recent form has cast doubts over whether she will make it four in a row at the French Open.
Gauff will be one of the leading contenders looking to dethrone Swiatek in Paris and should be buoyed by her crushing win against the Pole in Madrid.
However, Gauff is not writing off Swiatek given her impressive history at the Grand Slam.
“I think for sure it changes some things when you maybe see someone who won Roland-Garros that many times not having the best results,” said Gauff in Rome.
“I think it definitely gives players a lot of confidence when they come to face her.
“You also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion at Roland-Garros. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again.
“If I were to play her at French Open, I would throw away the results in Madrid, not even think about it, expect her to play her best tennis.”
