Iga Swiatek refuses to follow Novak Djokovic and Jessica Pegula example of playing lower-level tournament ahead of French Open

Iga Swiatek has made a major decision about her European clay swing finale after her early exit at the 2025 Italian Open. The Pole suffered a shocking defeat to Danielle Collins in straight sets, which brought an end to her title defense in Rome and also worsened her title drought.

Swiatek has been struggling to convert her deep runs into triumphs in the 2025 season. Though many expected the Pole to dominate on clay, her forte, things haven't gone well for her as she has suffered a quarterfinal exit in Stuttgart, a semifinal exit in Madrid, and a shocking third-round exit in Rome. Interestingly, it is not only she who has been having a tough time at the clay swing in 2025.

Novak Djokovic and Jessica Pegula, who haven't been at their best on clay, have made the decision to compete in another tournament to warm up for the French Open. The Serb, who hasn't won a single match on clay and missed the Italian Open, will play at the Geneva Open, while the American, who kicked off her clay swing by winning the Charleston Open and then suffered early exits in Madrid and Rome, will compete at the Strasbourg Open.

With many in the tennis fraternity wondering if Iga Swiatek will choose a similar route to find some much-needed form on clay, her PR manager Daria Sulgostowska has put any such speculation to bed by confirming her next campaign will be her French Open title defence.

"The plans haven't changed and the next tournament is Paris. Now it's time to regenerate, then return to training before the tournament," Sulgostowska told Sport.pl.

After her defeat to Collins, Swiatek also admitted that she has been struggling.

"It hasn't been easy" - Iga Swiatek makes honest admission about her struggles following her shocking Italian Open 2025 exit

Iga Swiatek - Source: Getty

During her post-match press conference after her loss to Danielle Collins, Iga Swiatek admitted that she has been struggling recently and needs to make some much-needed changes.

"For sure it hasn't been easy. For sure I'm doing something wrong. So I need to just regroup and kind change some stuff, had some advice from the team. I'll just try to do this," she said.

Iga Swiatek has had a nightmarish 12 months in which she has faced tough times both on and off the court. Her Italian Open defeat means she is set to drop out of the Top 3 of the WTA rankings for the first time in three years.