Iga Swiatek could chase Rafael Nadal's French Open records
The only woman who made Iga Swiatek sweat at the 2024 French Open was fellow four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. Osaka had Swiatek on the ropes, but in typical Iga style, she worked out of trouble and won the second-round match.
Swiatek now stands firmly at the top of the game, as if her stronghold on the World No. 1 ranking was not enough, with the most Grand Slam singles wins by an active player. With 5, she leads Osaka who has 4, Angelique Kerber has 3, Aryna Sabalenka has 2, and Marketa Vondrousova, Jelena Ostapenko, Caroline Wozniacki, and Elena Rybakina each have 1.
More importantly, Swiatek has won four French Open titles, and she is only 23 years old. Can she win 10 more in her career to match Rafael Nadal's record?
How many French Opens can Iga Swiatek win?
Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves, Swiatek would first need to catch the women's all-time French Open title leader, Chris Evert, who has seven.
Congrats to @iga_swiatek and @carlosalcaraz They’ve brought a new and higher level to the game. Forecasting double digits in Slams. They will be around for a long time! 👏👊💪👍
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) June 10, 2024
Evert's seven is well within reach. Swiatek's game and comfort level on the clay is obvious. She manages the bad bounces and seems to deal not only with the Roland Garros red clay, but she won back-to-back European clay court titles in Madrid and Rome leading up to the 2024 French Open.
Next. Coco Gauff slams French Open over Novak Djokovic. Coco Gauff slams French Open over Novak Djokovic. dark
Before she has the opportunity to defend her French Open three-peat in 2025, Swiatek has another chance to excel on the Roland Garros clay at the Paris Olympics this summer. She is the odds-on favorite to win a gold medal given her track record on the terrain.
The biggest immediate concern for Swiatek is if she can translate that clay court success to the grass of Wimbledon. To further etch her name among the giants of the game, Swiatek needs to win the career slam, and if any tournament is her Achilles heel it is Wimbledon. She has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.
Swiatek will celebrate her French Open success briefly before focusing on the grass. Can she win the 2024 Wimbledon Championships? It remains to be seen, but at 23 assuming she stays healthy, she could end up with a statue next to Rafael Nadal's ont he ground of Roland Garros.
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