Iga Świątek is currently gearing up for the upcoming French Open 2026, and just ahead of it, she recently got backed by the former American tennis player, Tracy Austin. However, the latter did not put the player in her top 3 picks for the tournament.
Swiatek was last seen in action at the Madrid Open, where she fell short of progressing further than the Round of 32. After besting Daria Snigur in the opening round, she qualified for the round of 32, where she locked horns with Ann Li, who won the first and third sets (7-6(4), 2-6, 3-0) to claim the victory and advance ahead. Following this loss, the Pole is currently preparing for the French Open, which is slated for May 18 to June 7, 2026.
Amid her training, she was recently backed by Austin during an interview with the Tennis Channel, with Sam Querrey also on the panel. While discussing the top four picks for Roland Garros, the former player was asked about her picks, and she supported Swiatek; however, she did not place her in the top 3 picks but in the fourth. Talking about the world no.3 and analyzing her previous and recent performances, she said:
“Well, and this was the one that we’ve been rallying with is I have to put Iga Swiatek, and unfortunately I put her at number 4 because I don’t believe that Iga’s been to a semis since all the way last September of a tournament, so she’s losing earlier, but she’s won Roland Garros 4 times and she’s won Rome 3 times. She’s got a new coach, Francisco Roy, so it was so new before Stuttgart, when she lost early, maybe a few more weeks in, they’ve worked on her serve. And also when you walk into a place where you’ve won 4 times, I think she’s going to get that good feeling,” said Austin.
Tracy’s first three picks were Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina, respectively.
Iga Świątek made her feelings known about her Madrid Open loss
During the third set of the round of 32 at the Madrid Open, Iga Swiatek was forced to retire from the match due to stomach illness, which automatically led to Ann Li’s win by 3-0. After losing the match, she spoke to the media at the Rome Open, where she weighed on her game, calling the tournament ‘tough.’ Revealing that she felt ‘no energy’ at all during the game, she said:
“My Madrid tournament was tough. It was really, like… s—–, literally. So yeah, I was completely off, like, day before the match. The day I played also I was not good, like no energy at all,” said Iga Swiatek.
She added:
“Honestly, day after it was a bit better, but still I don’t think I would be able to play normal. But in two days I was already fine. I recovered. I had some time to stay there and not really travel because I don’t think it’s safe to travel when you’re so, like, fragile.”
Iga Świątek opened the 2026 season at the Australian Open, where she lost to Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinal round. She has not won any title in this season so far.
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