Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Monday, 25 May 2026 23:29 / Updated Monday, 25 May 2026 23:35
Iga Swiatek (24 years old, WTA 3rd place), four-time champion on the clay in Paris, successfully passed the first round at Roland Garros, defeating Emerson Jones (17 years old, WTA 136th place) 6-1, 6-2. The Pole remembered in the conference her first edition, when she was defeated in the round of 16 by Simona Halep 6-1, 6-0.
Iga Swiatek is aiming for her fifth Roland Garros title and the first step was taken on Monday when she defeated Emerson Jones in the first round in 60 minutes. “I'm very happy with the way I played. It was a solid match from start to finish. Tactically I knew exactly what I had to do and I just executed the plan. It was a good day for sure,” Iga said at the press conference.
Iga Swiatek at this year's Roland Garros PHOTO Guliver/GettyImages
The former world number one is in her eighth main draw appearance at Roland Garros and has so far not been knocked out in the first week. Iga Swiatek has four trophies in Paris, in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, losing in the round of 16 in 2019, in the quarter-finals in 2021 and in the semi-finals in 2025.
Iga Swiatek on 2019 match with Simona Halep: “It was a lesson I had to learn”
She was asked at the press conference what had changed between her first edition, when she lost in the round of 16, and the second one, which she won in 2020. “Honestly, until I won the tournament I didn't feel that much had changed. In 2020 I didn't come here thinking I was going to win. In 2019 I had already played the junior tournament and knew the atmosphere, but at the professional level it was completely different. I was just trying to get the best result possible with the game I had at the time. In 2020, however, I felt, match after match, that I was playing better and better and that my style was perfectly suited to these courts. I had begun to believe more and more that I could go on”, said Iga Swiatek.
She continued: “In 2019 I played well, although I was a bit injured. Then came the match with Simona Halep and she beat me very clearly. It was painful, but it was a lesson I had to learn. She was probably playing her best tennis at that moment. Without that loss, I probably wouldn't have played so well the following year.”
In 2019, Simona Halep, number 3 favorite and title champion, beat Iga Swiatek 6-1, 6-0. In 2020, in the autumn edition, the Pole beat the Romanian also in the round of 16, 6-1, 6-2.
Simona Halep and Iga Swiatek in 2020 / Photo: Getty Images
Iga Saitek says he will cry at the Rafael Nadal documentary
During the press conference, Iga Swiatek was also asked about the upcoming documentary on Netflix on May 29 about Rafael Nadal, the Pole being a fan of the Spaniard. She trained at the academy of the one who won 14 times in Paris and has Francisco Roig as her trainer, who also trained the Iberian.
“It's a sensitive subject for us. Francis told us in Madrid that the premiere of the documentary is taking place then, and the whole team got ready, with outfits and everything. Then he told us that he got the date wrong. I was very sad. I'm going to see it immediately, if I'm not playing the next day, because I'm sure I'm going to cry. I think I'm going to cry at all four episodes. I would have really liked to go to the premiere too.” Iga revealed.
The Pole will meet the Czech Sara Bejlek (20 years old, 35th WTA) in the next round. The world number three also touched on the subject of the extreme heat in Paris. “When I got here it was about 16 degrees and the ball was very heavy. You could put all the force into the shot and still feel control. Now you need a lot more contact and you can't force. The ball bounces faster and higher, which gives the advantage to the spin game. At the same time you have to have a lot more control, because the ball moves faster through the air and it's easier to make mistakes”, explained Iga Swiatek.
