With her victory at the 2023 French Open, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek joins an elite list of women’s tennis champions who have won three French Open titles in four years (or less) in the past forty years.
In chronological order, the five women are as follows:
1. Chris Evert: 1983, 1985, and 1986
Chris Evert is a seven-time French Open Champion and won her final three French Open titles in a four-year timespan from 1983-1986.
Evert ended her 18-year professional career with 18 Grand Slam titles.
In addition to the 7 French Opens, she won 6 U.S. Opens, 3 Wimbledon titles, and 2 Australian Opens.
2. Monica Seles: 1990, 1991, 1992
Monica Seles was practically unstoppable from 1990-1992 evidenced by her three consecutive French Open titles.
In her 14-year playing career, she won 9 Grand Slams in total.
In addition to the 3 French Opens, she won 4 Australian Opens and 2 U.S. Opens.
Seles likely would have won many more Grand Slams had she not been a victim of the 1993 stabbing attack on the court.
3. Steffi Graff: 1993, 1995, and 1996
Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slams in her 17-year career.
She won 6 total French Opens, but in the span of four years, won 3 of them from 1993-1996.
Her final Grand Slam victory was also at Roland Garros in 1999 shortly before she retired.
In addition to the 6 French Opens, Graf won 7 Wimbledon titles, 5 U.S. Opens, and 4 Australian Opens.
Steffi won the Golden Slam in 1988 consisting of all four Grand Slams plus an Olympic gold medal.
4. Justine Henin: 2005, 2006, 2007
Justine Henin won 4 French Open titles in 5 years including three straight from 2005-2007.
She won 7 Grand Slams in her career.
In addition to the 4 French Opens, she won 2 U.S. Opens and 1 Australian Open.
She retired in 2011 after a 12-year career.
5. Iga Swiatek: 2020, 2022, 2023
Iga Swiatek has 4 career Grand Slams.
In addition to her 3 French Opens in 2020, 2022, and 2023, she won the 2022 U.S. Open.
She admitted after winning the 2023 French Open title that it was stressful trying to defend the title.
Conclusion
It is extremely difficult to win a Grand Slam title.
It is even harder to defend it or go on to have a string of victories in a short time span.
Iga Swiatek is starting to insert her name in the tennis history books on the clay courts in Paris.
Will that same dominance occur on other surfaces?
We will have to wait and see.
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