Clay court queen Iga Swiatek feeling positive and 'willing to fight' at French Open

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/swiatek-iga/jNyZsXZe/"]Swiatek[/a] first won the clay-court Grand Slam in 2020 and then took three straight from 2022-2024.[/p][p]Last year she flipped the script, losing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] in the Paris last four before blasting to a first Wimbledon title.[/p][p]The third-seeded Pole, who turns 25 on the middle Sunday of the tournament, says that she will marshall all her Roland Garros memories when she opens her campaign. She faces Australian [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jones-emerson/WCpmB755/"]Emerson Jones[/a] on Monday.[/p][embed guid="046134e1-7571-4e20-a4f0-c75436201077" url="https://x.com/OptaAce/status/2057817478512951494" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I remember all these tournaments that I played here if I won or not. It all kind of comes up as one memory. I don't particularly think on last year," [/b]she said.[b] "Doesn't really matter."[/b][/p][p]She said it makes little difference that she will not be taking the court as the world number one and the undisputed queen of clay.[/p][p]All victories might appear the same, she said, but when she looks back at her Roland Garros triumphs each is distinct.[/p][p][b]"I wouldn't split these situations like this: when I was dominating or not dominating, because even when I was dominating, I felt sometimes good, sometimes really anxious, sometimes I didn't care and I just went for it.[/b][/p][p][b]"For example, '23... I had a good tournament here and I won. I never felt that anxious.[/b][/p][p][b]"In 2024, every day I just enjoyed. I really didn't feel any kind of pressure from the outside. Maybe I was really focused just on myself. I was really in the zone, in my own bubble, and I went for it."[/b][/p][p]Last year, Swiatek came into Paris following a second-round exit in Rome she described as a "cold, cold shower".[/p][embed guid="cb4f019e-9b4d-44ad-9255-4f325cb4b107" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/2057441481322029074" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"I felt like I needed to really work more in a tennis way than mental on these tournaments, but I felt a lot of pressure, a lot," [/b]she said.[/p][p][b]"Everybody was just looking at my clay court results and judging."[/b][/p][p]This year she arrives buoyed by Rome, where she reached the semi-finals, showing flashes of her best form, before losing in three sets to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Elina Svitolina[/a].[/p][p]Last year, she said, [b]"I felt terrible on the court in Rome, so for sure, this year, after a couple of good matches, there is (a) more positive vibe".[/b][/p][p][b]"I also had the chance to play under pressure, to play short matches. I get the vibe of the matches. I'm in the match rhythm, which is great, comparing to last year. But still, this is a totally different tournament with different conditions right now, especially with the heat," [/b]Swiatek added.[/p][p][b]"You need to be humble and start knowing that you're willing to fight for every match."[/b][/p]