Swiatek pulls out of Stuttgart Open, to begin clay court swing in Madrid

[April 13, 2021]    (Reuters) - French Open champion Iga Swiatek has decided to skip next week's Stuttgart Open and will begin her claycourt swing in Madrid the following week, the Polish teenager said on Monday.

Iga Swiatek of Poland hits a backhand against Ana Konjuh of Croatia (not pictured) in the third round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Swiatek, 19, said her focus is on playing in Madrid and Rome -- both WTA 1000 events -- before her title defence at Roland Garros which begins on May 30 after it was postponed by a week due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Unfortunately I won't play in Stuttgart this year," she said in a statement.

"It wasn't an easy decision but after a lot of discussion we decided that I need more time to prepare properly for tournaments in Madrid, Rome and Paris."

Swiatek's last tournament was a third round exit at the Miami Open last month.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Pritha Sarkar)

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