"You’re only 22, you’re going to go past that" - Chris Evert backs Iga Swiatek to beat her French Open record

American former World No. 1 Chris Evert has disclosed her conversation with Iga Swiatek after the latter clinched the 2023 French Open title.

Swiatek defeated Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in an almost three-hour battle to successfully defend her Roland Garros title. She has now emerged victorious at the Paris Major thrice and is a four-time Grand Slam champion.

Among female players, only Evert (7), Steffi Graf (6), and Justine Henin (4) have won more titles at the clay Slam than Swiatek.

Evert attended the post-match trophy presentation in Paris on Saturday, June 10, where she had a chat with Swiatek on the center stage after presenting her with the Suzanne-Lenglen cup. Recalling the conversation, the 18-time Grand Slam said that she told Swiatek that she could beat her Roland Garros record.

"She’s going to be in for the long haul, and I told her - you’ve won three French Opens, I won seven. You’re only 22, you’re going to go past that. You can go to eight, nine, 10. But she’s got to pace herself and make sure she’s not injured," she said. (via Eurosport)

Former British No. 1 Tim Henman, who also works as an analyst for Eurosport, stated that Swiatek's hunger and desire make her a formidable player. The 48-year-old, however, believes that grasscourts, and Wimbledon especially, will test her the most.

"I look at all elements of her game, and most importantly that hunger and desire. She works hard and she’s got a great team around here. There are still areas of her game she can improve on, but with what she’s got already, she's so good on clay," he said.

"She’s won on hard courts already, but I think the grass of Wimbledon will be the biggest challenge for her. You look at the other three Slams and look at her age, and she could win a whole host of them, the sky’s the limit with how long players go on now," he added.

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"I'm just focused on myself" - Iga Swiatek plays down budding rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina

Iga Swiatek is a four-time Grand Slam champion.

The Big-3 in men's tennis — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — have finally hit the brakes following the Swiss maestro's retirement and the Spaniard's injury struggles. This has led to fans and pundits turning their attention to the trio of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina in search of the next big rivalry in tennis.

The four Grand Slams on the women's tour are currently held by the aforementioned trio — Swiatek (French Open and US Open), Sabalenka (Australian Open), and Rybakina (Wimbledon Championships).

While Swiatek understands why the talk of their dominance of the WTA Tour has gathered steam, she stated that she prefers to focus on herself.

"I don't really analyze that, because I know that this is something that kind of you guys created, and I understand that fans love that. You too. So I'm trying to just be focused on my work. I'm kind of just focused on myself, and I don't care about the other two players," she asserted in a press conference.