“Leave a little more to your opponent,” Justine Henin pleads Iga Swiatek to take it easy so that tennis fans can enjoy a bit more

The Pole equalled Henin's record with third consecutive title in Paris.

“Leave a little more to your opponent,” Justine Henin pleads Iga Swiatek to take it easy so that tennis fans can enjoy a bit more

Justine Henin, Iga Swiatek (Images via Imago)

Polish tennis ace Iga Swiatek is on the top of her game and the 23-year-old keeps on adding titles to her credit. While she was winning Masters tournaments a few weeks back, Swiatek won her fourth French Open title on Saturday. The World No. 1 WTA star beat Jasmine Polini in straight sets to win her third straight Roland Garros title.

In fact, Swiatek lost just one set on her way to the title victory. She was pushed to the limits by Naomi Osaka in the second round but thereafter, the 23-year-old became invincible, beating each of her opponents in straight sets. Eventually, in the final, Swiatek once again won in straight sets of 6-2, 6-1 to win the title in Paris.

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This dominance from the Pole prompted a witty response from former WTA star Justine Henin. The seven-time Grand Slam champion pleaded with Swiatek to leave something for her opponents so that the fans could enjoy a bit more of tennis. Henin made this comment after Swiatek’s win over Paolini.

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It's true that at the end, we want to say to her: 'Come on, leave a little more to your opponent, let us enjoy a little more of the pleasure'. Of course, she is there to win, she has come a long way in this tournament, and we don't forget her. A second round against Osaka is no small thing. She let go of the emotions. And then behind, she rode like a champion.
Justine Henin said about Iga Swiatek. (H/T: We Love Tennis)

Iga Swiatek equals Justine Henin’s record with her win in Paris

While Justine Henin jokes about Iga Swiatek‘s dominance, the Belgian must also look at the Pole standing equal to her in the record books. As Swiatek won her third consecutive title in Paris, she became only the first player to win three consecutive titles at Roland Garros since Henin’s 2005-07 heroics.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (via Imago)

Also, Swiatek now has the same number of French Open titles as the Belgian. The 23-year-old has won four titles in six appearances at the clay-court Grand Slam tournament. It is to be seen how far Swiatek can go in terms of titles won at Roland Garros.

The 23-year-old has a few names to look up to for motivation. While there is Chris Evert with seven titles on the WTA tour, the ultimate ‘King of Clay’, Rafael Nadal serves as the biggest motivation for Swiatek with 14 titles to his credit. Although the Pole wants to wait for 14 more years before starting a comparison, Swiatek finds it cool to see her name in the same sentence as the men’s tennis legend.

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