Recently, the Polish tennis ace, Iga Swiatek clinched her 8th WTA 1000 title by defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. She has won 19 titles so far in her career including 4 Grand Slam triumphs. Out of those 4 major victories 3 have come in the French Open (2020,2022,2023). Iga Swiatek has time and again proven herself to be one of the best clay court players of the current generation on the women’s circuit. Iga Swiatek- ‘The Queen of Clay’?

Well, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rennae Stubbs recently appeared on the ‘Racquet’s Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.’ During the conversation, she revealed, that Iga Swiatek may well surpass Chris Evert (7) and Steffi Graf’s (6) French Open tally in the near future.

“She can win at least eight French Opens” – Rennae Stubbs on Iga Swiatek

During the 2024 AO, Stubbs dubbed Iga Swiatek as “by far” the favorite going into the tournament in Melbourne Park. Talking about Swiatek’s favorite Grand Slam she stated, “I said yesterday I think Iga can win eight French opens, actually think she can win more than eight but I think she can win at least eight French Opens.” But what does Iga Swiatek think about her dominance on the clay court?

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During an interview three years ago, Swiatek expressed her happiness in playing on the clay courts. She said, “In terms of training, clay is more complicated. I feel comfortable and love playing on clay. I feel my joints are not that tired after the concrete tour. That’s very good for me.” Then two years after that she expressed her desire to excel in not just clay courts but also on the other two.

“As you can see, Rafa, he’s called a clay court specialist, but he won so many tournaments on hard courts and grass as well. The goal is to be good everywhere, ” Iga Swiatek. She further added, “There are always going to be players who feel more comfortable on clay or on hardcourts, so it’s just a matter of the technique and being used to it.”

Iga Swiatek came close to Steffi Graf’s(16) thirty-year-old record of dropping the fewest games to secure the title at the Indian Wells. Iga Swiatek dropped only 21 games at this year’s BNP Paribas Open. Can she prove Stubbs’ statement right in the near future? Well, time will tell but let’s now take a look at the moments when Chris Evert stood up to heap praise on the Polish tennis sensation.

“She hits the ball harder than a man” – Chris Evert on Swiatek

Last year when Iga Swiatek clinched her third title at the French Open, here’s what Evert said to her while congratulating the youngster on her incredible achievement. Chris Evert stated, “I just said she was unbelievable. She’s just hungry. There are champions that win one Slam and that’s enough, but there are players that are really hungry – Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, myself, and Martina Navratilova, and I think Iga is the same type of person.” She further added, “She hits the ball harder than a man.“

There’s almost 62 days left before the ball starts rolling at the 2024 French Open. Do you think Iga Swiatek can clinch her fourth title in Paris this year? Share your thoughts in the comment box.