Chris Evert meets Iga Swiatek: I was first to come along with groundstrokes

Times

25-05-2025

C hris Evert won a record seven women's singles titles at Roland Garros between 1974 and 1986. Iga Swiatek has won four, including the past three, and will be aiming to make it four in a row over the next fortnight. In a recent conversation organised by Rolex and exclusively shared with The Sunday Times before the 2025 French Open, which begins on Sunday, the pair discussed what it takes to play on clay and their toughest opponents.
How do your styles of play compare?
Evert I feel like Iga and I have more similarities in the intangibles of the game. I cannot attest to having the power that Iga has or the speed she has around the court, but I can attest to having had the mental toughness, the focus and the hunger she has, which to me, honestly, is more than 50 per cent of tennis.
I find the mentality of the game is our biggest similarity and the only physical similarity that I can see game-wise is we are actually both excellent baseliners. Our ground game and footwork were very similar at this stage of our careers.
Let me tell you, Iga, it took me a while, until my middle to late twenties, to really feel comfortable about coming to the net and feel confident about it, so that I could become an all-court player.
Swiatek It is interesting to hear you didn't feel comfortable going to the net at the beginning. Is that really the case? Wasn't coming to the net a big part of tennis when you played?
Evert Yes, but I was the first one to come along with groundstrokes.
Swiatek You changed that about tennis, I feel like it's better and more interesting.
Evert Exactly. I felt like whenever I played at Roland Garros, and whenever I played on clay, which was my best surface, I could out-rally anybody. I went on the court knowing I was going to win the match. That was that era versus this era, which is very different, because now everybody has an all-court game. Everybody knows how to do every shot in the book.
When I came up, it was Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, Virginia Wade and Rosie Casals. They could all serve and volley, but were rarely able to keep four or five balls in the court. I came along and just out steadied them and that was why clay was my best surface. As you know, on clay you've got to get a lot of balls in the court.
Swiatek I'm very happy you brought in groundstrokes. Good choice. It makes tennis much more interesting. I love building rallies and embracing the tactical element of clay. You have to think everything through and plan each point wisely. This is what I love about clay, and I would say we both did that well.
What was your hardest test on clay?
Swiatek The match that was the hardest to win was last year's match against Naomi [Osaka], during the second round of Roland Garros. I felt like it was a final in terms of the level of intensity and the emotions that we both experienced.
I really thought I was out of the tournament. In the third set I was 5-2 down and managed to save a match point. Mentally I had to be at my top level to even believe I could come back. I won the match but later, when I was in the gym, I cried for 15 minutes. I think it was the longest match I've ever played on clay and it kind of broke my heart. This was the most meaningful title of my career because of how close I came to losing.
Evert Don't you think that when you can get through a match like that, you are much better off after it and for the rest of the tournament?
Swiatek Sometimes I do but not this time. My expectations were too high. I couldn't accept that I had played a match like that at the beginning of the tournament which is like home to me. It wasn't logical but I remember I just wanted to work on my game because I felt like I can do much better. To be honest I felt like life had given me a second chance, so I had to take it.
Evert My toughest matches at Roland Garros were against Martina [Navratilova] in 1985 and 1986 when I was 30 and 31 years old. She was ranked No1 in the world at the time, nobody expected me to win, and I won both of those titles. I think she was so difficult to play against because she served and volleyed, and the left-handed serve got me off the court on my backhand side. She was also so quick at the net and she moved well, so she was always dangerous for me. However, playing against her on clay was when I had the biggest chance of winning because I had that extra second to pass her when she had to come into the net.
You might learn from this, Iga: I lost to Martina during her peak 13 times in a row. For two and a half years she was dominant on every surface. My coach kept saying you've got to go to the net, take the net away from her, go to the net on her backhand; and because I was stubborn as a champion for those 13 times, I didn't go to the net, but that 14th time I did. I thought, you know what, I am not going to win this way and so finally I tried something different. I came into the net and the first time I did she hit a ball in the bottom of the net. So I did it again and the second time I came in she hit a floater backhand and I put it away. Slowly I gained more and more confidence.
I changed my strategy a little bit and started playing outside of my box because I had to raise my level and learn to hit some new shots. From then on I was fine and we were 50/50 in terms of matches. I had finally figured it out.
Swiatek That's a good story, and I will remember that for sure. I am stubborn as well — you can talk with my coaches about it!
Evert I think champions are stubborn, period.
Can Swiatek beat Evert's seven titles?
Evert I've won Roland Garros seven times, Iga's now won it four times at a very young age, and there's no doubt in my mind she can pass me and win it more than seven times. I think she is the perfect clay-court player and has what it takes.
Swiatek I will always remember hearing you say that I can surpass your record. I really got this warm feeling from you. It was just so nice to hear, and it hit me harder than usual. Obviously, as tennis players we are cheering for each other but still there is some jealousy, so getting a nice message like that is amazing.
Evert Understandably, with women in your own era you aren't going to be cheering for them to win the next five grand-slam events. It's hard when they are your competitors. However, at this point I am so much older that I think it would be very egotistical of me to not want you to win. So much time has passed, and I've had my time in the sun. It's time to let other people shine and support the next generation.
What is it like playing on Court Philippe Chatrier?
Swiatek For me, the emotions that I feel there are very strong, and I just love this court. I even love how it looks. It's not only about the matches I play on the court, it's also about how I feel when I go there. The sound of the ball on Philippe Chatrier is just different for me than at other stadiums. It feels more like I'm inside a church of tennis.
When the crowd is cheering, and lifting the trophy, these emotions are just amazing and this is something that every athlete works hard to feel. It's our biggest motivation seeking this feeling. For me, Philippe Chatrier will always be connected to that.
Evert I agree with Iga about Philippe Chatrier, which I always loved. I was brought up playing on clay from the age of five. It was green clay but it was clay, and I learnt how to slide at a very young age. I remember the sliding on Philippe Chatrier, I remember the drop shots, I remember the clay on my socks, I remember Paris, I remember the Eiffel Tower… there are so many good memories outside of Roland Garros as well as being in a beautiful city like Paris.
However, at the end of the day, I think the main thing is that I played my best tennis there and my strengths really shined on the red clay, and that's the best thing I can say.