Elina Svitolina will open her 13th Roland-Garros campaign against Anna Bondar, the same player who beat her in Madrid earlier this May, after the seventh seed's draw set up a sudden rematch at the start of the French Open.
Svitolina arrives in Paris on the back of a high-profile spring: the 31-year-old won her third Rome trophy following a run in which she beat three of the top names in the draw — Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff — each in three sets. That sequence and the Rome title are the immediate proof that she arrives in form, and the fact that she has reached the Roland-Garros quarterfinals five times underscores why the draw matters now.
“I think it's still early to say, because I need to start the tournament well,” Svitolina said when asked about her chances in Paris, framing the question as one that must be answered on court from the first match onward.
The context sharpens the moment: Svitolina is attempting to translate late spring momentum into Grand Slam progress in what is her 13th campaign in Paris. Since 2000, only five women have managed the rare double of triumphing in Rome and then at Roland-Garros in the same season — a reminder that Rome form, however compelling, does not guarantee Paris success.
The tension is immediate and personal. Bondar's Madrid victory over Svitolina earlier in May is a concrete counterpoint to the Rome narrative. A player who can beat you weeks before Roland-Garros is not merely a tricky draw on paper; she is a looming tactical problem and a psychological test for a top seed freshly crowned in Italy.
Svitolina has been explicit about how she is handling that pressure. “But now I'm more calm, I would say, because at that time eight years ago, it was more of, OK, now I need to win Roland-Garros. That was kind of the goal. Now I'm more calm about it,” she said, describing a shift in perspective since an earlier phase of her career. Her approach now emphasizes process over outcome: “Of course, I feel like I'm in good form, but for me it's all about trying to enjoy this journey and not put too much pressure on myself and not just think too much about what can happen. It's just all about preparation, mental preparation, and physical preparation.”
She returned to the same themes when asked what she wants from the fortnight: “Now, I’ve always been saying physicality and really [being] mentally fresh are the goals, because when I'm ready to fight, when I'm ready to be physically strong on the court, I can play good tennis.” The comments follow a run in Rome that included three-set wins over three Slam champions, a run that Svitolina and observers point to as evidence of her readiness.
Still, Svitolina is careful to lower the personal stakes. “I think now I'm just more fine with the way that my career, it is how it is. It's OK if I don't win a Slam,” she said, later adding: “I think my career, even if I finish tomorrow, it’s OK. And if something happens, I will be fine with that, and I'll be still a happy person and will live my life good if I don't win a Slam.” She explained why that matters: “So I just want to have this mentality now, because I think when you're younger, of course you want to win a Slam, this is the goal, No.1, and you are so upset and can really damage yourself mentally if you don't succeed.”
That mindset frames the practical task ahead: Svitolina's Rome trophy suggests she can beat anyone on a good day, but Bondar's Madrid victory proves she will not have an easy opening. If Svitolina follows her own prescription — start the tournament well, stay physically strong and mentally fresh — she has the résumé and the temperament to go deep again in Paris; if she does not, the draw hands Bondar the chance to turn a recent upset into a Roland-Garros shock. The first match will be the clearest signal of which version of Svitolina shows up.
— FilmoGaz
