Andy Roddick makes bold prediction for Iga Swiatek out of respect despite her ‘most brutal’ French Open draw

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has backed Iga Swiatek to reach the semifinals of the French Open despite the toughest draw and her current slump in form. The American believes that Swiatek has earned the right to warrant a prediction that she will make it to the last four over the last five years.

Swiatek has not been at her usual best this season. It has almost been a year since she reached the final of a WTA event. She was expected to turn her fortunes around on clay but hasn’t managed to do so thus far. She reached the semifinals of the Madrid Open, but aside from that, she faced early exits in Rome and Stuttgart. The Pole has even slipped from No. 2 to No. 5 in the WTA rankings due to these underwhelming performances.

The four-time French Open champion has one of the toughest draws to navigate in the tournament. She faces Rebecca Sramkova in the first round, but beyond that, no match is an easy encounter. Swiatek is expected to face Emma Raducanu in the second round and Marta Kostyuk in the third. She will, quite possibly, be pitted against Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round, who has already defeated her twice this year. If she manages to overcome this hurdle, Jasmine Paolini or Elina Svitolina will be waiting in the quarterfinals. Furthermore, Aryna Sabalenka or Zheng Qinwen and Coco Gauff could follow in the semifinals and finals, respectively.

Considering the draw, many question Swiatek's ability to advance to the final stages of the French Open, particularly regarding her current form. Nevertheless, former American pro Andy Roddick has predicted on his podcast (Served Podcast) that Swiatek will at least reach the semifinal round against all odds.

“Iga Swiatek to the semis. We have to like some semblance of respect for this, but she has the most brutal draw on either side Men’s and Women’s. I just have to like respect the four-time Roland Garros champion and think that she’s going to find something. Now can she find it? She’s been there ten days early, I don’t know if that’s good or bad. First time in half a decade she’s been an underdog. Now Iga is working backwards, our strengths are our weaknesses. She’s Intense, she is stressed, but that also keeps her like in the moment all the time,” Roddick said.

He added that he would feel no guilt if his prediction proves wrong, as Swiatek fully deserves that level of respect.

“I don’t know, I get like it’s amazing to me that we are having this conversation, taking Iga Swiatek to the semis, and I get why she hasn’t been in great form, but she’s still made the semis of Madrid, she made the semis of the Australian Open. She’s played fine for normies. I don’t know if I go down, I’m wrong, I can live with myself with respecting Iga Swiatek call because I think that respect fades too quickly with her,” Roddick added.

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“My game is there” Iga Swiatek on her chances to win the French Open 2025

Iga Swiatek at the press conference ahead of Roland Garros 2025 - Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek acknowledged the inconsistency in her game ahead of the French Open, yet the Pole still possesses the self-belief to turn things around.

The 23-year-old has won the tournament for three years, making her a natural favourite to secure the title again. However, this time is different due to her poor form. She shared her sentiments at the opening ceremony of Roland Garros.

"I mean, obviously (I'm ready to win the 2025 French Open). Everybody's here to win you know. I'm working hard to be ready and to play as good tennis as possible. For sure, this season has had more ups and downs than the years before," she said.

"But my game is there. I just need to figure out how to use it in the most important moments and in the best way during the matches, and that's it. But you know, tennis is sometimes a complicated sport, but we should make it easy in our heads. So, I'll just start step by step," Swiatek added.

Swiatek holds a remarkable win-loss record of 35-2 in Paris and boasts an impressive win percentage of 88 per cent on the red clay, the highest among active players. Clay has proven to be the Polish player's strongest surface, and she is anticipated to make a robust comeback at her favourite tournament.