Iga Swiatek said that conversations with Rafael Nadal ahead of the French Open gave her "extra energy" as she bids for a fifth title at Roland-Garros. 

Swiatek booked her place in the fourth round in Paris on Friday after beating compatriot Magda Linette 6-4 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. 

In doing so, she became the sixth player in the Open Era to reach the women's singles round of 16 at the French Open in each of her first eight main draw appearances at the event, and the first since Monica Seles.

Swiatek also holds the ninth-highest winning percentage in women's singles grand slam events in the Open Era (83.46%, 111-22), surpassing Justine Henin (83.43%, 141-28).

The Pole won her fourth Roland-Garros crown in 2024, which was her third in a row, before losing to Aryna Sabalenka in last year's semi-finals having come from a set behind. 

Swiatek has struggled for consistency in 2026, though, and on what is considered her favourite surface, she was dumped out of the Stuttgart and Madrid Open early on, before losing in the Italian Open semi-finals to Elina Svitolina. 

But ahead of her French Open campaign, Swiatek revealed she spoke to 14-time champion Nadal and opened up about what she gained from the Spaniard's advice. 

"It was a really amazing experience for me, a huge privilege," Swiatek said. "I wasn't sure if Rafa would find time, I'm super happy he managed to come to my practices.

"He gave me a lot of motivation and extra energy before the clay season to work even harder.

"Just having him behind me, watching, gave me so much will to play every shot in the best way possible."

In April, Swiatek confirmed she would work with Francisco Roig, the former coach of Nadal, with the pair spending 17 years together which brought 22 grand slam titles. 

Nadal spent some time with Swiatek in Mallorca ahead of travelling to France, and when asked if he had given her any tips, she said: "There were some technical tips.

"The most you can take from Rafa is his approach to the game, and he shows it's not always easy.

"It's not always like on the TV when he lifts the trophy, there's a lot behind the scenes and even the best players in the world sometimes struggle.

"The key is to get over it and work on this stuff, never give up. So Rafa is the perfect example of that. He also shared some stories with me, which were amazing.

"He's really open to giving advice and I appreciate that."

Swiatek's next match will see her come up against Marta Kostyuk, who beat Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic 6-4 6-3. 

And she will be joined in the next round by Mirra Andreeva after the eighth seed needed just one hour and 35 minutes to get past Marie Bouzkova with a 6-4 6-2 victory. 

Andreeva is the youngest player to reach the round of 16 in three consecutive editions of the women's singles at the French Open since Martina Hingis between 1997 and 1999.