Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Miami Open and Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup Qualifier against Kazakhstan due to a rib injury, the WTA announced on Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can’t compete,” the world No.1 Swiatek explained. “I need to take a break to recover and I have to pull out of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup.”
As the top seed, Swiatek had a first-round bye in Miami and was awaiting her second-round match against American Claire Liu on Thursday. Her replacement in the draw will be lucky loser Julia Grabher.
The rib injury has troubled Swiatek ever since she won the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month. As she explains, a strong infection caused an episode of tough cough which led to a rib injury. The first time she became more concerned was in the final games of her Indian Wells quarterfinal against Sorana Cirstea. After losing to Elena Rybakina in the BNP Paribas Open semifinals, Swiatek mentioned her health problem: “I have a little discomfort in my rib and we’re going to consult with medical team.”
“Pain comes with certain movements but team caught it early,” the WTA elaborates on Twitter. “Says she’s taking the safe approach.”
Unfortunately, this means that Swiatek will delay…
