French Open: Chris Evert reveals what she told Iga Swiatek after ‘unbelievable’ Roland-Garros triumph

Eurosport’s Chris Evert has revealed what she told the victorious Iga Swiatek after her “unbelievable” triumph in the final of the 2023 French Open on Saturday afternoon.

Swiatek, who was already the clear world No. 1 and top seed in Paris, underlined her dominance with her latest crown on the red dirt as she held off an inspired Muchova under very considerable pressure.

For Evert, the latest Grand Slam for the 22-year-old only served to further demonstrate her abundant talent and provide a thrilling hint of what she could go on to achieve in her already illustrious career.

“I just said she was unbelievable,” Evert began as she recounted to Eurosport what she told Swiatek on the podium.

“A break down twice, and the shots she came up with! She said to me, ‘Did you see my serve?’ I was just complimenting her on how she played with her back to the wall, and only champions can play like that when they are down.

“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 hits the ball harder than a man. She can take those mid-court balls and volley them. She can still improve.

“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.”

Tim Henman added: “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.

“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.”

Mats Wilander weighed in and said: “It’s a very emotional Iga Swiatek these days, she’s feeling the pressure of being No. 1 in the world for sure, which is good.

“She’s handling it, but she is sometimes too emotionally involved I think, so I hope she can relax a bit and grow into being the best player in the world – but she’s winning while being No. 1, so it’s amazing. The confidence she must get must be incredible.”

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On June 10 and 11 strap yourself in for a live sport rollercoaster ride. With the finals of Roland-Garros, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Speedway Grand Prix, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the Criterium du Dauphine, MotoGP and the Champions League final, it’s the Weekend of Champions live on Eurosport, discovery+ and BT Sport.