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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek has said that though her performance at the Miami Open was not something that she was happy about, the sunshine city always has a special place in her heart.
Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round of the Miami Open in straight sets. It ended her hopes of capturing the 'Sunshine Double' of Indian Wells and Miami for the second time in her career.
Swiatek won the 'Sunshine Double,' winning titles at Indian Wells and Miami in 2022. After winning the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells this year, she was aiming to win the 'rare two-peat' by clinching the trophy at the Miami Open.
"Not the result I wanted but it's always special to be in Miami," Swiatek posted on Instagram along with pictures of her fun-time in Miami where she enjoyed the food and spent time on the beach.
Iga Swiatek, who is set to surpass Lindsay Davenport of the US in the total number of weeks as a top-ranked player on the WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Tour, said that she was happy at the opportunity to recharge herself.
The Pole, who will climb to the ninth spot in the list of players who have spent the most time at the No. 1 spot, said that she would refocus her efforts on the game.
"I loved the chance to recharge and now it's time to refocus and get back to it. Oh, and Happy Easter!" Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek did not have a great start to the 2024 season but still managed to win two WTA-1000 titles to keep herself ahead of others in the rankings sweepstakes. She started her season at the United Cup, the global men's and women's tennis team event, where her team Poland lost in the finals against Germany.
The World No. 1 lost in the third round of the Australian Open to Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic. But she recovered in quick time to win the title at Doha Open in Qatar, a WTA-1000 event, where she beat Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan.
Swiatek lost to Anna Kalinskaya in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship. But she made a strong comeback again by lifting the title at Indian Wells by beating Maria Sakkari of Greece.
Iga Swiatek to start clay court campaign at Stuttgart
Iga Swiatek, who is the reigning French Open Champion, would start her clay court campaign at the Stuttgart Open in Germany, a tournament she has won for the last two consecutive years.
Her next outing, however, would be on the hards courts for the Billie Jean King Cup where she would lead Poland's team in the away qualifier against Switzerland in Biel on April 12 and 13.
Swiatek successfully defended her Stuttgart title in 2023 by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final in straight sets. Interestingly, she had beaten Sabalenka in 2022 for her maiden title at Stuttgart. The Stuttgart Open starts on April 15.
The Pole would have to defend her title at the French Open where she has won the trophy three times (2020, 2022 and 2023). Swiatek would also fancy her chances at the Olympics where tennis matches would be played on the red clay of Paris where she has had considerable success.
