Iga Swiatek surprised tennis fans by practicing at Roland Garros two weeks before the French Open.
Roland Garros shared a sneak peek at Iga Swiatek’s surprisingly early practice session before the French Open.
Iga Swiatek is battling through the worst slump of her professional career. The Queen of Clay no longer looks unstopped on her favorite surface and has not won a title since last year’s French Open.
Danielle Collins upset Swiatek in the third round of the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d’Italia), giving Swiatek an extra long break before Roland Garros. It perhaps is not the best thing for a player struggling to find her form.
While some fans and media members speculated that Swiatek could add a tournament in the meantime, it is now apparent that she plans to spend her time in Paris gearing up for the second Grand Slam of the season.
On Thursday morning, the official Roland Garros social media channels shared a quick 27-second video of Swiatek training with her team inside an empty Philippe Chatrier. Swiatek arrived a full two weeks ahead of her first match at Roland Garros.
Four of Swiatek’s five Grand Slam titles have come at Roland Garros, including last year’s dominant victory over Jasmine Paolini. She is comfortable in the stadium and looks to regain her form before defending her title.
However, Swiatek has not won a tournament at any level since last year’s French Open. Even worse, she has not even made the finals of an event since last June.
There are plenty of reasons that can be attributed to Swiatek’s title drought. She has cited anxiety and a loss of confidence after dealing with her doping scandal, a coaching change, and family issues off the court.
Swiatek is currently the WTA World No. 2 with a record of 27-9 with zero titles. However, she will slide in the WTA Rankings after the conclusion of the Italian Open. She could be a fourth seed in the 2025 French Open.
The 2025 French Open runs from May 25 – June 8. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.
