Iga Swiatek opens up about rib discomfort after loss to Elena Rybakina in Indian Wells 2023

Iga Swiatek failed to defend the WTA 1000 Indian Wells. The World No. 1, who appeared indomitable up until the semifinals of the event, suffered an uncharacteristic straight-sets loss (6-2, 6-2) to Elena Rybakina on Friday (March 17).

This is Iga Swiatek’s second consecutive loss to the reigning Wimbledon champion. Earlier, at the 2023 Australian Open, the three-time Grand Slam champion was handed a similar straight-sets defeat (6-4, 6-4) by Elena Rybakina in the fourth round of the tournament.

Swiatek revealed that she was dealing with a physical issue on the court. The 21- year-old took to social media to reflect on the match and stated that she found it challenging to give it her all as she was feeling pain in her ribs.

“Tough one tonight. I gave it all but Elena was a better player. Unfortunately I'm feeling discomfort and pain in my ribs and it was challenging for me to compete at my highest level,” she wrote.

The Pole further conveyed that she would be consulting her medical team regarding the issue and taking the next few days to recover.

“I will consult with my team and I will definitely use these next days to recover. See you soon!” she said.

In her post-match press conference, Iga Swiatek admitted that she has been injury-free for most of her young career so far, which made the situation difficult for her to navigate through.

“Honestly, I haven't played with a lot of injuries. It's a new situation for me, for sure. Last time I played with an injury, like the only tournament I can remember is like Roland Garros 2019 (smiling). So I was pretty young,” she said. “You know, now it's a totally different level. So I feel like going on that matches you have to be 100% fit.”

Iga Swiatek hopes to be ready in time for Miami Open title defense

The 21-year-old is 2022 Miami Open champion

Iga Swiatek’s sensational 2022 season saw her lift eight titles, including two Grand Slams in Paris and New York respectively.

In the previous season, the 21-year-old achieved a historic 37-match winning streak, which began with her victory in Qatar. She lifted six consecutive titles before her historic run was snapped by Alize Cornet in the third round of Wimbledon.

So far, Swiatek has been able to defend her title in Doha, but has been unsuccessful in her title defense in Indian Wells. With six more titles left to defend, the World No. 1 has her work cut out throughout the year, starting as early as next week at the WTA 1000 in Miami (March 19- April 2).

With questions arising about her Miami Open participation after the injury revelation, Swiatek conveyed that she will be preparing for the tournament and will make a decision after analyzing her condition in the coming days.

“For now I'm preparing to play, but we'll see what next days are going to tell us,” Iga Swiatek said in her post-match press conference at Indian Wells.