Justine Henin Comes Clean on Her Feelings About ‘Boss’ Iga Swiatek as She Inches Closer to Her French Open Record

With the French Open women’s final match knocking at the door, fans and experts have started to pick their favorite contenders for the match. Justine Henin, who put down her racquet over a decade ago, has also voiced her opinion on who she is betting on to win the upcoming clash. Is it the three-time Roland Garros champion, Iga Swiatek, or the Italian No. 1 female player, Jasmine Paolini? The debate is never-ending. However, according to the former Belgian player, who has won four titles at the French Open, Swiatek has “something special” in this regard.

The former World No. 1, Justine Henin, is full of praise for the current World No. 1, Iga Swiatek. While she was busy preparing her battle with Coco Gauff (which she later won by 6-2, 6-4), Henin reflected on Swiatek’s current form in an interview. “Iga is the boss,” she claimed. Further adding to her statements, she said, “But we can see how hard it is to win and to win and to win. It’s tough to stay at the top of the game for such a long time. Iga, she has something special for this. I think she is really strong, and if she stays healthy, keeps the motivation, she can win a lot here.”

Iga Swiatek is indeed enjoying her best season this year. With four titles to her name, Swiatek has consecutively won two tournaments on clay so far, first in Madrid, then in Rome. Currently, with a total of 21 titles in her bag, the 23-year-old player has been enjoying the top spot in tennis for 106 weeks. Aptly described as the “Queen of Clay,” Swiatek’s next goal is to achieve the fifth grand slam in Paris.

But on the opposite side of the net, stands her rival on-court, Jasmine Paolini, the 28-year-old former world No. 12. However, Henin has full confidence in Swiatek’s dominance on clay. “I think when you see Iga on clay, there isn’t much competition. I think we can deal with all those surfaces and not so many players can do that in a certain way.” Therefore, according to Henin, who first won her clay title in Paris in 2003 and then consecutively from 2005 to 2007, “She(Iga) can win more than I won, for sure.”

Much like her, Swiatek, who initially said, “I love to come to Paris and be there. It’s a great place for me to be, and I really enjoy my time there,” recently also exuded confidence in her own gameplay.

While Iga revealed why she is “proud of” herself, Paolini said she will “enjoy” the Roland Garros finals

Iga Swiatek’s impressive run on clay this season is one to remember for years. Especially her dominance over the former World No. 1, Naomi Osaka, in the second round of the Roland Garros. When she completed her 11th victory over Coco Gauff, Swiatek’s unwavering determination on-court was palpable. “I got my level of intensity a little bit higher. I think most of the things overall in my game worked, so I’m proud of myself.”

On the other hand, her opponent, Paolini, said, “Iga is an unbelievable player. She’s doing well week by week, and that’s not easy. So I have huge respect for her. But my goal is to step on court on Saturday and try to enjoy the match, to enjoy that moment and to try to play a good match and to make a good performance on court.”

Now, Swaitek’s focus is set on the final match, which begins in a few hours. Will she be able to clinch her fifth title this season? Only time will tell. But either way, she has won a place in the heart of Justin Henin with her incredible talent on-court.