Iga Swiatek 'ready' to bounce back from rib injury, starts WTA Stuttgart defence against Qinwen Zheng

Iga Swiatek is looking to bounce back from a rib injury as she looks to defend her Stuttgart Open title, with the world No. 1 in action against Qinwen Zheng on Thursday. Swiatek was forced to pull out of the Miami Open and the Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers after suffering an injury during her run to the Indian Wells semi-finals last month.

Ad It has been far from ideal preparation for her French Open title defence next month, but Swiatek feels she has now turned a corner. Roland-GarrosWhen is Swiatek playing next? Will she return in Stuttgart?13/04/2023 AT 09:49 Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, she said: «I'm not injured anymore, so that's the most important thing for me. »I feel like I used that time in Warsaw well to rest a little bit and to not think about tennis.

«I have still been working out physically a little bit and obviously coming back to practising step by step. Here I am and I think I'm ready.» Raducanu out in first round of Stuttgart Open after heavy loss to Ostapenko Alcaraz downs Borges at Barcelona Open, Thiem through in Munich Djokovic issues fitness update, admits elbow 'not in ideal shape’ Swiatek will be hoping to build on what was a stellar 2022 after marking a year at the top of the WTA rankings on April 4, building up a huge lead at the top. From starting with a 1,736-point advantage over world No.

2 Barbora Krejcikova, Swiatek's lead soared to 6,000 points by the end of 2022 after a dominant 67-win season; the most wins in a single season since Serena Williams in 2013. In the year since becoming world No. 1, Swiatek has won seven titles, including two Grand Slams, reeled off a century-best 34-match win streak, lost only 10 times, and stacked up a formidable 14-3 record against top-10