French Open 2025: Kim Clijsters Lauds Iga Swiatek as ‘By Far the Best’ Mover on Clay Ahead of Quarter-Final Clash

SME News UK. Paris, June 3 Four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek is bidding to reclaim her throne in Paris after a challenging season, and tennis legend Kim Clijsters believes the Polish star still holds the edge on clay thanks to her unrivalled movement on the surface.Swiatek, currently ranked world No. 5, has endured a rocky road since her title run at the 2024 French Open, going without a trophy for almost a year. But despite recent setbacks, including early exits in Stuttgart and Rome, former world No. 1 Clijsters is confident the 24-year-old remains the player to beat at Roland-Garros.“She’s by far the best mover on the surface,” Clijsters told *Eurosport*. “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.”Swiatek has earned the moniker “Queen of Clay” in recent years thanks to her dominance in Paris, where she has lifted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Her run in this year’s tournament has rekindled belief in her form, particularly after a crucial comeback win over 12th seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round.“That last win against Rybakina was a very important mental win for her,” said Clijsters. “She was more dominant last year, but the way she won that match is a big confidence boost. When you’ve won a tournament four times, you come into it and feel at home you play better. There’s a confidence, and I love seeing that.”Swiatek breezed through the early rounds, dispatching Emma Raducanu without dropping a set, but had to dig deep to overcome Rybakina. Now, she faces Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in Tuesday’s quarter-final with a potential blockbuster semi-final looming against either world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.Clijsters, a two-time finalist at Roland-Garros herself, believes Swiatek is still evolving into a more complete clay-court force: “She’s a better player now than when she first won here. She’s learning, growing, and dealing better with the pressure. I love watching her play and seeing her succeed.”As the business end of the French Open approaches, all eyes will be on Swiatek to see if she can rise once again and reaffirm her status as the undisputed queen of the terre battue.