The start of the sand season in tennis: At the Grand Prix in Stuttgart, the four-time French Open winner Iga Swiatek wants to fight back into the form of success on her favorite covering.
Her dominance on sand is undisputed: IGA Swiatek already triumphed four times at the French Open, broke all records and won 21 matches in a row on the red ash. At the opening of the sandplace season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart (April 12-21), the 23-year-old is again one of the top favorites for the title.
“It is still a challenge. It is not that everything always runs perfectly for me. We play most of the year in hard court, so of course I need some time to adapt. But I have the feeling that I am in a good starting position. With the necessary work and the focus, I will be able to play my game,” said the current number two in the world at a press conference on Monday.
Store track, doping lock and a lot of pressure from outside
Hard months are behind Iga Swiadek: Since her last title win at the French Open almost a year ago, the former number one in the world has never been in the final. In addition, there was an interim doping lock due to a contaminated medication. A difficult time for the 23-year-old, whose career course has almost only developed upwards.
The loss of world ranking at the end of 2024 increased the already steadily growing pressure from outside: the otherwise focused, sober -looking athlete showed emotions when she fired a ball towards the ball boy at the tournament in Indian Wells. Even after her apology, she received a lot of criticism of social media.
It underestimated how big the pressure and criticism became last year. “I have to get used to it, but at the same time I want to show people that I am human and not a robot,” Iga SWIATEK said in an interview with SWR Sport.
Swiatek could make the fourth final in the fourth participation in Stuttgart clear
The traditional tournament in Stuttgart has always been a good place for IGA Swiatek: the Polish has already won here twice (2022 & 2023). With each of her three participations, she made it to the final. Should this series continue in 2025, Iga Swiatek would certainly not mind. However, the world ranking runner-up cannot be blinded by its previous success in Stuttgart.
“Very nice memories are awakened here, but that certainly not what happens on the pitch. I have to focus on that,” So swiatek. The Polish will only contest her first match in the middle of the week, against the winner from the inner-Croatian duel Donna Vekic against Jana Fett.
In the course of the tournament, Swiatek could also meet Lettin Jelena Ostapenko. The current number 24 in the world is one of the few remaining top players, against whom IGA Swiatek still lacks a victory.
Prize on Monday, April 14, 2025 6:00 a.m., SWR Currently in the morning, SWR Current
