World No. 2 Iga Swiatek shared her mindset ahead of her opening match at the Stuttgart tournament.
“It`s not like I transition to clay and everything immediately becomes perfect. We play on hard courts for most of the year, so you need to get used to clay at first. But I feel I am in the right place. With a good amount of work and concentration, I can quickly start playing my tennis.”
“Of course, I am proud of my achievements here (the Polish player has won in Stuttgart twice). It`s nice to come back, but it doesn`t guarantee anything. You need to focus on work,” Swiatek said at a press conference in Stuttgart.
Swiatek also commented on an unsettling stalker incident at the Miami tournament.
“I wouldn`t say I was in danger – it wasn`t that serious. It was just a fan who wanted to bother me. I am happy when fans support me, but when things like this happen, you need to react.”
“The WTA helped me feel protected. What I heard was not a direct threat, but I did receive some threatening messages on social media. I`m glad that they help us react properly in such situations.”
Furthermore, Swiatek spoke about the request from Top 20 players to increase prize money at Grand Slam events.
“There is information online about earnings in different sports. We are discussing various issues regarding prize money at Grand Slam tournaments. Yes, the situation could be better, but for now, I would prefer to remain silent. We need to resolve this issue internally, and it takes time. I don`t want to talk about this topic right now.”
Gilbert Pendleton