World No 1 Iga Swiatek says she is entering her Rome title defense expecting it to be tough. Swiatek, 21, captured her first Rome title in 2021 before beating Ons Jabeur in the 2022 Rome final to lift back-to-back titles at Foro Italico.
Even though Swiatek is the top favorite to win Rome for a third consecutive year, the Pole insists winning it all again won’t be easy. “It’s tough. It’s always tough. Doesn’t matter how the finals look like.
With Ons, it was pretty tight anyway. I remember it was really physical and every point mattered. 2021, I almost lost against Barbora in the quarterfinals I think. For sure I have good memories from here, but I’m not expecting this tournament to be easier than any other because it’s tough.
Yeah, we’ll see how I’m going to play,” Swiatek said, per the Italian Open website.
How will Swiatek react after a Madrid final defeat?
Swiatek kicked off her clay season by winning Stuttgart. In Madrid, Swiatek made the final and improved to 9-0 on clay before suffering a surprise defeat to Aryna Sabalenka.
After losing to Sabalenka in the Madrid final, Swiatek insisted she “did not have big regrets.” “We just played on a good level, but [Sabalenka] was better today. Maybe sometimes I could be more proactive, but honestly, I think…
