MIAMI GARDENS, Fla., March 22 (UPI) — Iga Swiatek withdrew from the Miami Open due to a rib injury, which occurred from coughing caused by an infection, the No. 1 women’s tennis player announced Wednesday. “We were checking if this was the kind of injury you can still play with or make it worse,” Swiatek said at a news conference inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
“I think the smart thing is for me to go out of this tournament because I want to rest and take care of it properly.”
Swiatek, of Poland, was to face American Claire Liu on Thursday in a Round of 64 match. The three-time Grand Slam champion won the 2022 Miami Open.
“I would’ve liked to repeat it, but I know its not possible,” Swiatek said. “But i will have many more chances.”
Swiatek, who said she first struggled with the infection last month at a tournament in Doha, Qatar, said she wanted to play “as long as it was safe.”
“We were analyzing the data in the last days and my doctor prepared my diagnosis,” Swiatek wrote on Twitter and Instagram. “Unfortunately, I’m still feeling a lot of discomfort and pain and I can’t compete.
“I need to take a break to recover and I have to pull out of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup.”
Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers will start in mid-April. The WTA Tour’s Charleston Open will be held April 3 to 9, in addition to several other clay-court tournaments next month in preparation for the French Open from May 28 to June 11 in Paris.
Austrian Julia Grabher will replace Swiatek for the Miami Open second-round meeting with Liu.
