IGA Swiatek has her sights set on back-to-back French Open crowns despite a recent thigh injury and the world No. 1 remains optimistic of being fully fit for her opening round match on Tuesday.
Swiatek was forced to retire from her Italian Open quarterfinal against eventual champion Elena Rybakina after suffering the injury but said the extra days off could help her as she chases a third Roland Garros title in four years.
Having won the claycourt tournament in Stuttgart last month and finished runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid, the Pole remains the favorite in Paris as she begins her 61st week at the top of the WTA rankings.
“Luckily nothing serious happened, so I had a couple of days off,” Swiatek said on Friday.
“I’m still recovering from the thigh injury, but I’ll be good for my first round. That’s the most important thing for me.
“Having this time to reset and think about other stuff and just calm down for a couple of days was really helpful. And also to analyze what happened during the whole clay season.
“It’s a nice way to go to the last tournament of the clay season with all the knowledge I gained.”
Swiatek, who turns 22 this week, will face Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the first round on Court Philippe-Chatrier while Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina takes on Czech qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova.
Tunisian Ons Jabeur also picked up an injury in the build-up to the French Open but said she has returned to full fitness after a calf problem prevented her from defending her Madrid title.
“(I am) definitely 100%. I was training with a lot of players, moving normally. Definitely finding my rhythm. The way I move on the court, I feel like (it) is much better,” said Jabeur, who reached two Grand Slam finals last year.
She will take on Italian Lucia Bronzetti on Tuesday, while last year’s finalist Coco Gauff faces Spain’s Rebeka Masarova, with former Grand Slam champions Victoria Azarenka and Bianca Andreescu clashing in the last match on Court Simonne-Mathieu. — Reuters
