Paris, May 26 -- Iga Swiatek said she was "inspired a lot" by seeing Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier once again as she began her French Open title defence with victory over
Rebecca Sramkova.
The three-time defending champion claimed her 22nd successive French Open match win as she beat Slovakia's Sramkova 6-3 6-3 on the main court here on Monday.
Swiatek, bidding for a fifth French Open title in six years, has suffered a downturn in form in recent months and dropped to fifth in the world rankings.
For the first time since 2020, she arrives at the clay-court major without winning a WTA title in the
first five months of the season.
The Pole, along with defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz, were in the crowd for a tribute cere...