World number 1 Iga Swiatek arrived in Rome after spending a couple of days training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca. The Polish player, who started her season on clay by winning the Stuttgart tournament, was on the draw to play in Madrid but she later retired due to an injury to her right shoulder.
She explained: “Today we arrived in Rome and we have a moment of rest after intense training at the Rafa Nadal Academy. I did a training micro-block that will help me keep fit until the Roland Garros.”
Swiatek admitted that her shoulder injury was not really something of concern. She just wanted to give herself a little more time to recover after two and a half months of tour de force. The young player from Warsaw has confirmed that she is now 100% back.
She said: “It was a more strategic decision when it comes to planning. Recently, I haven’t had time to train or recover properly. Now everything is fine for my health.”
Iga Swiatek is ready to defend the title in Rome
WTA ranking leader hasn’t lost a match in nearly three months, leading to her success in her last 23 matches. Although the Pole was forced to miss the Mutua Madrid Open due to a physical problem, she arrives in Rome holding the scepter of favorite for the title.
Last year, Swiatek won her first title in her capital by sweeping Karolina Pliskova off the field with a bombastic 6-0 6-0 in the final: “I can start the next tournaments with a different perspective and it can help me play without expectations and see how I feel on clay, as I consider Rome to be a first tournament on clay,” said Swiatek describing how she will approach the Italian Open.
Last year, Swiatek was nothing short of dominant in Rome and only lost one set on her way to the title. The 6-0 6-0 victory over Pliskova in the final act of the tournament was something absolutely impressive: “I’m not thinking too much about my performances last year because every tournament is a different story, however. We all start from the same point, tennis is unpredictable. I will focus on my good tennis, on good preparation and on the things I can contro.”
‘@iga_swiatek on recent days and preparations before @InteBNLdItalia for @TOKFM_NEWS:
“Today we arrived in Rome and we have a moment of break after intense trainings at @rnadalacademy. I’ve done a micro training block which will help me to keep in form until #RolandGarros
— Iga Świątek News (@IgaSwiatek_News) May 4, 2022