Iga Swiatek,WTA No.1, Three strange records she could break at French Open 2024
Iga Swiatek is living up to her title as the new ‘Queen of Clay’. The Polish star has very much liked her French Open performances so far, winning three wins in the last four years. The 22-year-old won back-to-back French Open titles in 2022 and 2023 and is a favorite as she attempts to retain her crown in 2024. Swiatek has also had a spectacular build-up to Roland Garros with title wins in Madrid and Rome.
Moreover, the World No. 1 has won 28 matches and lost just twice in the Paris major, giving her a win rate of 93.3% at the French Open. The Pole is so primed to potentially smash multiple records with another title win.
Let’s take a look at three achievements Swiatek could attain at Rolland Garros this year:
#3 – Most wins at Roland Garros among active WTA players
Iga Swiatek has 28 wins in his five appearances at the French Open. The Pole has excelled in Paris losing just twice in her relatively young career so far. A title win at the French Open in 2024 would mean Swiatek will add another seven triumphs to her name raising her overall count to 35.
Currently, Sloane Stephens has the most wins in the French Open among active WTA players, with 35 wins, and Swiatek could soon join the American. An notable distinction between the two is that Stephens has a win percentage of 75%, while Swiatek has a win rate of almost 93%.
#2 – Three back-to-back French Open titles
Iga Swiatek will be aiming for a remarkable three-titles-in-a-row during the 2024 French Open. The World No. 1 successfully defended her Roland Garros championship in 2023 and will now attempt to become just the third WTA player in the Open Era to complete a French Open ‘three-peat’.
During the Open Era, only Monica Seles and Justine Henin have won three French Open titles in a row. Seles initially achieved the record by winning back-to-back Roland Garros titles from 1990 to 1992, and later Henin matched it by winning back-to-back titles from 2005 to 2007.
Now, 17 years later, Swiatek will seek to achieve the same, and with form on her side, Swiatek will be the frontrunner to match this record.
#1 – First player to win Madrid Open, Italian Open and the French Open since 2013
Iga Swiatek is the most in-form tennis player in the world at the moment. The Polish star is on a 12-match winning streak on clay as the 2024 season reaches its second major. She is fresh off winning both the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.
In the Open Era, only Monica Seles and Serena Williams have managed to win the three biggest clay court championships in the same year. Seles won the Berlin Open, which was later replaced by the Madrid Open, and the Italian Open on her path to French Open gold in 1990.
Serena Williams achieved the same feat in 2013 by collecting all three titles. Now, Iga Swiatek will seek to be only the third woman player in the Open Era to win the Madrid Open, the Italian Open and the French Open in the same year.