She's in a vicious cycle": Henin analyzes Swiatek's rough patch ahead of Roland-Garros

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Jules Hypolite

le 17/05/2025 à 16h49

2 min to read

Roland Garros Swiatek

It will soon be a year since Iga Swiatek last won a title on the tour. Her last one? At Roland-Garros, where she defeated Jasmine Paolini in the final to lift the Suzanne-Lenglen Cup for the fourth time in her career.

With Roland-Garros starting exactly eight days from now, the Polish player arrives this year with a glaring lack of confidence, having failed to deliver the expected results during this clay-court season. A tough period for her, as she will also drop out of the Top 3 on Monday, falling to No. 4 in the world rankings.

Speaking to Eurosport, Justine Henin shared her perspective on Swiatek’s current form: "We’re on her favorite surface, and we’re approaching the tournament she’s won four times. Before the clay season, there was no concern. But if there was a time for her to bounce back, it was now. Yet she’s not at her best.

Against Collins in Rome, she went through a difficult moment. She arrived at the press conference with red eyes. You can see she’s struggling. Last year, we could already tell she wasn’t in a good place during her speech against Osaka (first round of Roland-Garros 2024)—she was off-topic.

I think it’s been very hard for her to win this title. I believe she’s a perfectionist and wants to do things a certain way. She had a period of great dominance, especially on clay.

We often forget the pressure on a young player whose career has been as successful as Iga’s. It’s a vicious cycle, and it’s not surprising to see her facing difficulties.

Maybe this is the moment she needs to let it all out, to release what’s inside. She needs to pause, analyze, and understand what’s happening to her.