Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka pegged as top-2 to win 2023 French Open by renowned tennis journalist

Renowned tennis journalist Christopher Clarey recently named Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka as the top two contenders to win the 2023 French Open.

Swiatek will be gunning for a third French Open title and her fourth Grand Slam trophy at this year’s event in Paris. Her ultimate goal will be to successfully defend her title and maintain her position as the World No. 1.

World No. 2 Sabalenka made remarkable progress this year. In 2022, she only managed to win 10 matches, but in 2023, she has already achieved a 29-4 win-loss record, which is the highest number of wins on the WTA tour this year. The Belarusian has participated in seven events and has reached five finals, surpassing her previous record of four finals in a season.

Christopher Clarey recently made an appearance on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast hosted by Mitch Michals. During the discussion, Clarey shared his insights on the potential winners of the 2023 French Open.

According to him, Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka are the top contenders for the title. While Elena Rybakina and Barbora Krejcikova are also strong contenders, Sabalenka's power and pace, and Swiatek's brilliance, make them the favorites to clinch the title.

"Yeah, I think you were thinking about maybe Krejcikova, Barbora and with her being able to, in a place so well a couple of years ago. She has a great game," Clarey said. "Hasn't really had that big result in the lead-up tournaments to justify that feeling. Certainly, a very dangerous player."

"Rybakina, she’s healthy, clearly has had success in Paris before in a similar situation," he added. "Sabalanka – that she’s able to with that exceptional movement she generates. The pace on the clay and can do a lot of damage on any surface. Yeah, I think those two have their spots – Iga certainly at the top and Aryna just after her for sure."

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"I need to recover right now" - Iga Swiatek looks forward to 2023 French Open

Iga Swiatek at the 2023 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Iga Swiatek is set to begin her title defense at the 2023 French Open. Following her unexpected elimination at the 2023 Italian Open due to an injury, Swiatek revealed that she was grateful for the additional time to recover.

“To be ready for Roland Garros, I need to recover right now. I'm going to take couple of days off. With my quarterfinal loss, I have also time to then practice right before the tournament. I'm happy right now to have few days off,” Iga Swiatek said in the presser.

The World No. 1 now has a 28-6 win-loss record in 2023. While she won two WTA 500 tournaments in Doha and Stuttgart, she faced defeats in the finals of the WTA 1000 events in Dubai and Madrid.