Iga Swiatek similar to Rafael Nadal in Grand Slam struggles outside of French Open says Andy Roddick: "It's her versus the field at Roland Garros"

Andy Roddick compared Iga Swiatek to Rafael Nadal for her dominance on slow surfaces even when they're not at their best level, especially at the French Open. The Polish player recently clinched the title at Indian Wells, one of the slowest hardcourt tournaments.

Swiatek didn't have the best start to the season, exiting in the early rounds of the Australian Open, marking another disappointment in a major, considering her fourth-round exit at the US Open and quarterfinals appearance at Wimbledon, despite being the world No. 1 in all of them.

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Despite her early setbacks, Swiatek seems to have found her form in 2024. Since her exit from Melbourne, she holds a record of 13-1, including titles at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells, placing her at No. 1 in the WTA Race. With the start of the clay season, Andy Roddick drew comparisons between Swiatek and Rafael Nadal.

The Spanish player's dominance at Roland Garros is unlikely to be matched by any other player. Nadal won the title 14 times and only lost to two opponents at that tournament over 18 participations: twice to Novak Djokovic and once to Robin Soderling, boasting a record of 112-3 (97%).

On the other hand, at just 22 years old, Swiatek has already claimed the title three times in five appearances at Roland Garros, with a record of 28-2 (93%). The world No. 1 could achieve similar success to Nadal on clay according to Roddick's assessment:

"She [Swiatek] can struggle, she's not played great in four out of the last five Slams... it feels like the Rafa [Nadal] thing where even if she struggles at Majors, on a slow surface like Indian Wells, on a slow surface like Roland Garros, she's gonna continue to win. You feel like it’s her versus the field at worse at Roland Garros," Roddick said.

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The female tennis players with the most French Open titles in the Open Era are Chris Evert (7), Steffi Graf (6), and Justine Henin (4). The Polish player is tied with Margaret Court, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Monica Seles, and Serena Williams with three Roland Garros trophies each.

Swiatek has claimed the title in the last two editions, and only Henin has managed to win the trophy three years in a row so far (2005-2007).