Andy Roddick Predicts How Far Iga Swiatek Will Go at the French Open After Being Handed “The Most Brutal Draw”

Iga Swiatek will face one of the top four seeds as early as the quarter-finals in the French Open.

Andy Roddick Predicts How Far Iga Swiatek Will Go at the French Open After Being Handed “The Most Brutal Draw”

Iga Swiatek, Andy Roddick (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, ESPN)

A title defense is always tricky, particularly at the Roland Garros, and Iga Swiatek is searching for her fifth title in Paris and fourth in a row. But the Polish star looks set to encounter the toughest French Open draw of her career so far. American legend Andy Roddick has now predicted how far she will go at the tournament.

For the first time since 2021, Swiatek will not enter the Roland Garros as the top seed and is in fact, seeded as No.5 for this year’s edition. This is a result of her trophy-less run for a year. The last time she won a title was at the French Open in 2024. Despite her pedigree as the best active player on the clay court, she has failed to perform according to her standards.

Swiatek will face a very tough draw at the French Open. In fact, she will face one of the top four seeded players as early as the quarter-finals. The 23-year-old will open her campaign against Rebecca Sramkova on Sunday (May 25). She’s then expected to face Emma Raducanu in the second round.

The four-time champion is projected to face Marta Kostyuk in the third round, while a potential clash against Elena Rybakina or Jelena Ostapenko awaits her in the round of 16. She holds a 0-6 record against Ostapenko. She could then face Jasmine Paolini or Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals, while a clash against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka or Qinwen Zheng in the semi-finals awaits her.

Should Swiatek reach the final, she could face Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva. Analyzing the draw during an episode of Served with Andy Roddick, Roddick pointed out that it would be difficult for Swiatek to get to the final. That led him to predict that her run would likely end in the semi-finals of the French Open.

This is a brutal draw. Weirdly – and here is where I’m going with this – sometimes knowing that you get a brutal draw kind of locks you in. I could argue that she needs to be ready to go from the word go. I am going to pay my respects. Iga Swiatek to the semis. We have to have some semblance of respect for this. But she has the most brutal draw on either side, men’s or women’s.

Despite the difficult draw, Swiatek is still the favorite to win the French Open. The reason why it is a brutal draw for the Polish star is because of her recent run of poor form. But the former World No.1 stands tall above any player in the women’s circuit when it comes down to winning titles on clay, particularly at the Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek hopes to survive at the Roland Garros amidst her poor run of form

Iga Swiatek is aiming for her fifth French Open title, which would put her third in the all-time WTA list of the most French Open titles in the Open Era. She will be behind Steffi Graf and Chris Evert, who have won the title 6 and 7 times, respectively.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/Jimmie48 Photography)

But Swiatek will enter the Roland Garros with just six wins on clay so far this season and no titles to her name. She has competed in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Rome and is yet to reach a final on the red dirt. However, she told the BBC that she’s ready to give her all at the tournament.

Sometimes you can start the Grand Slam in really bad shape and not playing perfectly, but then find your game during, This is a two-week tournament so I think it’s impossible to peak for the whole event – you just need to kind of survive.

Swiatek is on the brink of dropping further in the WTA rankings if she doesn’t win at the Roland Garros. However, after the French Open, she has an opportunity to rack up several points.

Also Read: Boris Becker Is “A Little Bit Lost for Words” over Novak Djokovic’s Split with Andy Murray a Few Weeks Before Roland Garros