French Open director Amelie Mauresmo opened up about Iga Swiatek’s chances of defending her title on Paris clay. The Frenchwoman believes Swiatek still has “a chance” and laid out what could be key to her defense.
With the French Open main draw less than a week away, World No. 5 Swiatek has already arrived in Paris to begin her preparations. Since winning the title last year, the Pole has not been able to reach another final on the WTA Tour.
She was ranked World No. 1 as she claimed the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open last year. However, this year, she was ousted from the semifinals in Madrid and the third round in Italy. Amid her shaky form, Swiatek has dropped to World No. 5 in a year.
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Speaking to Eurosport France, Mauresmo said the five-time Grand Slam champion still has a chance to win the French Open.
"I think that she can still have a chance... I think the beginning of the tournament will be key, definitely, to have this confidence going again. You need these first few matches, one, two, three, to get the rhythm going, get the confidence a little bit higher, getting it up a little bit," Mauresmo said (via TNTSports).
The former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion further asserted Swiatek's prowess at Roland Garros.
"But Iga on this court is always dangerous. She's always going to be a problem to any player she's going to face. Now, the fact that she's coming here with confidence being pretty low is probably something new for her. It's also going to be interesting to see how she reacts to this mentally," she added.
Swiatek completed a remarkable French Open three-peat last year by defeating Jasmine Paolini in the final. She currently shares the record for most consecutive women’s singles titles at the Roland Garros in the Open Era (3), tied with legends Monica Seles and Justine Henin.
The Polish star now sets her sights on becoming the sole holder of that record and joining pre-Open Era greats Jeanne Matthey and Suzanne Lenglen, who each won four in a row.
French Open director Amelie Mauresmo names Iga Swiatek's competition in her title defense this year
French Open director Amelie Mauresmo named several top players who could give Iga Swiatek a tough time at the clay-court slam.
"Aryna [Sabalenka] has been unbelievable all season, basically," she added. "Coco [Gauff] is starting to put it together, and Madison [Keys] won in Australia [2025 Australian Open]. I’m still very interested to see if Iga Swiatek can perform, and how she can turn the tables," she said.
This clay season, both Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka have capitalized on the surface. Gauff reached the finals of the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, finishing runner-up in both. Sabalenka claimed the Madrid title and made a quarterfinal run in Rome.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek has made consistent deep runs since winning the French Open last year but has yet to reach a final this season. The Pole is 0-4 in the semifinals in 2025 and will be eager to turn things around in Paris.
