French Open 2025: 'By far the best' - Kim Clijsters on why Iga Swiatek has edge in key area at Roland-Garros

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TNT Sports expert Kim Clijsters has said that Iga Swiatek is the best mover on clay courts in women's tennis. The Belgian, the former world No. 1, is a two-time runner-up at the French Open, having reached the final in 2001 and 2003. Swiatek is a four-time champion at Roland-Garros, and is bidding to end a run where she has not won a single tournament since last year's French Open.

Clijsters says Swiatek 'by far the best' in key area of game

Video credit: TNT Sports

TNT Sports expert Kim Clijsters believes that Iga Swiatek is "by far the best" mover on clay in women's tennis.

Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, is bidding to win a fifth title at Roland-Garros and end a run that has seen her without a trophy since her success in Paris last year.

The Pole, who has tumbled down the rankings as a result of her dip in form, is in action in the quarter-finals against Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.

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Swiatek has quickly been dubbed the 'Queen of Clay' following her dominance on the surface in her years on the WTA Tour, but this year, her dominance has been tested.

She did not reach a single final in her warm-up tournaments ahead of the French Open, being dumped out by Jelena Ostapenko in the second round in Stuttgart, before losing to Coco Gauff in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters.

She was stunned by Danielle Collins in the second round of the Italian Open in Rome, with the defeat seeing her fall out of the world's top two for the first time in three years.

'Unreal, unbelievable what Iga did' - Reaction to Swiatek's wild comeback at Roland-Garros

Video credit: TNT Sports

Swiatek, the five-time Grand Slam champion, has dispelled the form books slightly on her return to the French dirt, however, beating Emma Raducanu comfortably as she did not drop a set en route to the third round.

She then came from a set down to defeat former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, the 12th seed, in the last 16, in a victory that Clijsters thinks will have instilled some confidence back into the current world No. 5.

"This last win that she had against Rybakina was a very important mental win for her," Clijsters said.

"She was more dominant last year, if you rewind the clock 365 days. The way that she won that match is really good mentally to give yourself more confidence and belief.

"But when you’ve won a tournament four times, you come to it and automatically feel at home. You start playing better. You see there’s a confidence and I love seeing that."

Clijsters believes that Swiatek is the best mover in the women's game on the clay, with the 24-year-old's lightning speed and agility a huge advantage for her in the slower conditions.

Highlights: Swiatek somehow recovers to overcome Rybakina in classic contest

Video credit: TNT Sports

"She’s by far the best mover on the surface," Clijsters continued.

"That’s one of the biggest keys to me. When I was younger, I played Justine [Henin], who had great movement and variety in her shots. Iga has less variety than Justine, but in her movement, she’s a lot more aggressive than she used to be.

"I even think she’s a better player than she was a couple of years ago, even when she won it. She’s still growing, becoming a better clay-court player and learning about herself mentally and the pressures that come with that. I love watching her play and seeing her do well."

Should Swiatek get past Svitolina, she will set up a mouth-watering semi-final encounter with either her arch-rival and current world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, or the Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.

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