“I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous” – Iga Swiatek on burden of expectations as the tipped favorite to win French Open 2024

Iga Swiatek has claimed that she harbors some nerves ahead of her title defense at the 2024 French Open. She has entered the women's singles main draw as the first seed.

Swiatek will take the court at Roland Garros as the two-time defending champion and three overall. The Paris Major has been her most successful out of the four Grand Slams on tour.

She debuted at the French Open in 2019 and went as far as the fourth round unseeded. She exited the draw with a straight-set loss to Romania's Simona Halep.

Iga Swiatek returned to the dirt the following year as the unseeded contestant again but amazed everyone with her prowess on the red court by clinching the women's singles crown that year with a win over Sofia Kenin in the final.

In 2021, she received entry to the women's singles mix as a seeded player for the first time but the eighth seed couldn't make the most out of the opportunity bowing out after faltering against Maria Sakkari in the quarterfinals.

The Pole secured her second French Open trophy in 2022 as she overcame the USA's Coco Gauff in the final. She claimed her third title last year when she defeated the Czechia's Karolina Muchova in the summit clash.

Swiatek will kickstart her 2024 campaign on Sunday, May 26, the first day of main draw action, against Frenchwoman Leolia Jeanjean. Ahead of the matchup, the two-time defending champion admitted to feeling nervous with the burden of expectations after being tipped as the favorite.

"The tournament is long and a lot can happen. I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous because I know the expectations placed on me are very high and that creates pressure," she said during her pre-tournament press conference.

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Iga Swiatek: "Stress helps motivate me and bring out the best version of myself"

Iga Swiatek; PHOTO: GETTY

In the same presser at the 2024 French Open, Iga Swiatek also claimed that the odds of being crowned the champion again drive her to do well on the upside.

"I think that stress helps motivate me and bring out the best version of myself. I see myself on the right path and I feel that I can continue to improve," she stated.

She has every right to believe she can travel the distance in Paris, especially after having secured the dirt double already by prevailing in Madrid and Rome.

However, Iga Swiatek has no experience with her first opponent Leolia Jeanjean's tennis. Jeanjean has notably made it to the main draw working her way through the qualifiers.