Elina Svitolina has put herself in the mix for the Roland Garros title after her victory in Rome.
Svitolina beat Coco Gauff in the final to win the Italian Open title for the third time in her career and first since 2018.
This has continued an impressive 2026 season for Svitolina, who also reached the Australian Open semifinal and reached the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Svitolina is currently third in the race to the WTA Finals, and she has revealed if she now thinks she can win her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
Elina Svitolina suggests if she thinks she can win Roland Garros this year
Svitolina will be the seventh seed at Roland Garros this year, and in her post-match press conference after winning the Italian Open she was asked if she thinks she can win her first major title next month.
While the Ukrainian admitted she was feeling confident ahead of Roland Garros, Svitolina stated that she was not getting carried away.
“Well, I had already two times after winning here the same situation,” responded Svitolina. “Now, I mean, it’s been eight years that it happened.
“Of course, gives me a lot of confidence. Gives me a good look at Roland Garros. But still I want to put my head down and to really work, prepare from the first round. There are really tough players. You cannot underestimate. You need to be ready for the first-round matches, big battles. Everybody’s there to beat you. They have nothing to lose, so you have to expect tough matches.
“For me it’s just taking one match at a time and putting the best effort and giving myself a good chance to compete well.”
Is this the year Elina Svitolina finally wins a Grand Slam?
She's the 2026 Italian Open champion!
How has Elina Svitolina previously performed at Roland Garros after winning the Italian Open?
Svitolina has been in the position of going into Roland Garros after winning the Italian Open twice before, but it has not always helped her.
Despite enjoying success in her career on clay, Roland Garros is actually the only major tournament where Svitolina has not reached the semifinals, having suffered five quarterfinal losses in Paris.
When Svitolina won her first Italian Open title in 2017, she went on to reach the quarterfinals before losing to Simona Halep.
However, the following year when Svitolina defended her Italian Open title, she lost in the third round to Mihaela Buzarnescu.
| Year Svitolina won the Italian Open | Svitolina’s result at Roland Garros |
| 2017 | Quarterfinal |
| 2018 | Third Round |
Svitolina will be hoping for her best run at Roland Garros this year, and claim her first Grand Slam title.
The 31-year-old will now have a week away from the match court before Roland Garros begins on Sunday, May 24.
