Iga Swiatek withdrew from the WTA 1000 Miami Open due to a rib injury

Three-time Grand Slam champion and world’s number one Iga Swiatek will not compete to defend her title at the WTA 1000 Miami Open. She withdrew from the tennis tournament due to a rib injury.

Iga Swiatek, who is top-seeded, rested in the first round and was scheduled to play versus Claire Liu (USA) in the second. Julia Grabher (Austria), a “happy loser” from the qualifiers, will take her place in the tournament.

“During and after the tournament in Doha, I suffered from a serious respiratory infection. I was cleared to play, but my cough led to a rib injury. I tried to continue playing, but according to my doctor and the results of the tests, it is better for me to rest. I still feel discomfort and pain while on the court”, said Iga Swiatek.

She added that she will not be able to play in the “Billie Jean King Cup” tournament in mid-April, in which Poland will play with the Kazakhstan team. Iga Swiatek is expected to return to the court for the WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, which begins on April 17.

The prize pool for the WTA 1000 Miami Open tournament is 8.8 million USD, and Iga Swiatek will lose 1,000 ranking points for not being able to defend her trophy from last year, but there is no risk for her to lose her world’s top position.