Paris, May 26 (IANS) The defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek kicked off her 2025 campaign with a hard-fought 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova, extending her stunning unbeaten run at Roland Garros to 22 matches.

Rafael Nadal may not be swinging his racket this year at Roland Garros, but his presence at Court Philippe Chatrier continues to inspire greatness.

While the result may appear routine on paper, it came on the back of a period of uncharacteristic struggle for the Polish star — and in her own words, the mere sight of Nadal during Sunday’s tribute ceremony helped her rediscover some of that lost fire.

“Even when he’s not playing, just him being here yesterday inspired me a lot,” Swiatek said after the match. “Thanks, Rafa.”

Swiatek, who is aiming for her fifth French Open crown in just six years, entered the tournament ranked fifth in the world — her lowest position since 2020. It’s also the first time in five years that she arrived in Paris without winning a WTA title in the season’s opening five months.

Yet as she stood on the same clay where Nadal built his empire, Swiatek found more than just her rhythm. She found motivation.

“I knew the cameras were on Carlos [Alcaraz] behind me so I needed to be brave, but seeing Rafa crying makes me more emotional,” she reflected on the ceremony. “It’s great the tennis world could show their appreciation. He is a huge inspiration.”

Against world number 42 Sramkova, Swiatek was pushed early. Her signature fast start didn’t come as easily this time. She had to dig deep to hold her opening service game and didn’t fully settle until stringing together the final three games of the first set.

Even then, Sramkova landed a blow, breaking the three-time champion to begin the second set. But Swiatek responded in kind — levelling at 3-3 before breaking again and reeling off three straight games to wrap up the match in one hour and 35 minutes.

The win sets up a second-round showdown against Britain’s Emma Raducanu, who also came through a gruelling three-set battle earlier in the day.

Swiatek has often cited Nadal as her clay-court hero, and Monday’s performance bore the hallmarks of his influence — resilience, patience, and intensity in the face of early adversity.

She even shared a personal moment from Roland Garros 2021, the year Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final and Swiatek fell in the quarters. “I was devastated that he lost, and the next day, he was just sitting there after breakfast or something, and I asked him how does he feel?” she recalled. “He was chill. He was like, ‘Oh, it’s just a tennis match. I’ll get many more chances.’ I was like, what? Why am I crying if he’s not crying?”

–IANS

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