
Players not getting the respect they deserve - Sinner
Jannik Sinner speaks out on players' respect and potential Grand Slam boycotts.
Iga Swiatek is seeking her first trophy of 2026 at the Italian Open, where she is seeded fourth. She enters the tournament with a 14-8 record after an early exit at the Madrid Open due to illness.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Iga Swiatek is still chasing her first trophy of 2026 and will be looking to make progress at the Italian Open, where sheâs seeded fourth.
Swiatek brings a 14-8 record into the WTA 1000 event in Rome, after exiting early in the third round of the Madrid Open.
She retired from that match against Ann Li due to illness, something sheâll be hoping is behind her as she prepares for the next challenge.
And with Roland Garros approaching, former pro Rennae Stubbs thinks there are bigger concerns on the horizon for world number three Swiatek.
Itâs been a quiet start to the year for Iga Swiatek. She hasnât made it past the quarterfinals at any event so far and has missed several tournaments because of injury and illness.
Even during last season, although she finished as world number two with three titles, none came from Grand Slams or even WTA 1000 events. This yearâs slow start only adds to those growing concerns.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Stubbs shared her thoughts on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, saying: âI mean listen, Iga has got some questions to answer. Thatâs for sure. She loves Rome.
âShe has won a final there against a very good player by the name of Karolina Pliskova, 6-0, 6-0 once upon a time. And I think this is going to be a massive emotional test for her.
âBecause if she does not do well at this tournament, you start to think how much can she handle this disappointment of not winning and doing well on her best surface?
âAnd you know, the coaching changes and the mentality, Daria [Abramowicz] wasnât in Madrid, howâs she going to react if Daria is in Rome, and then people are going to wonder about this and about that and how the new coaching is working out.
Iga Swiatek has a current record of 14-8 in 2026.
Iga Swiatek retired from the Madrid Open due to illness.
Iga Swiatek is seeded fourth at the Italian Open.
Iga Swiatek's next match at the Italian Open is yet to be scheduled as the tournament progresses.

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âAnd maybe itâs not the coach, maybe itâs Iga. I feel in some ways this week is going to be incredibly tough for her, because if she does not win the tournament, or at least make the finals and play well, I think sheâs going to really be stressed going into the French Open.
âLook, we know what she did at Wimbledon. She knows sheâs capable of doing that now, but this is only going to get harder, because sheâs not sort of the player that goes âmehâ.
âSheâs not like an [Elena] Rybakina who can have two or three bad weeks and just come back and just blow everybody out of the court.
âSo I think there are a lot of question marks when it comes to Iga. Certainly with Coco [Gauff], [Aryna] Sabelenka hasnât proven herself on the clay yet.
âSo there are a lot of questions to be answered going into the French Open, the second Slam of the year. And I think the biggest question is how is Iga going to do going into the French Open? Itâs a big ask.â
Iga Swiatek hasnât started the season as well as sheâd have liked, but her track record at Roland Garros speaks for itself.
Four of her six Grand Slam titles have come on the Paris clay, and she knows what it takes to win there.
This season, though, itâs Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina setting the pace. Sabalenka sits at world number one, with Rybakina just behind her at number two.
Stubbs believes that could change soon. Asked whether she thinks Rybakina can finish 2026 as world number one, Stubbs said: âI certainly think that Wimbledon will be the tell,â she replied. âI think if she wins Wimbledon, which sheâs my favorite to win Wimbledon, I think she can end the year number one.
âAnd a lot of times itâs because she didnât quite have the same points to defend as Sabalenka does throughout the rest of the year, right?
âSabalenka won the US Open, so thatâs a big thing, thatâs 2,000 points right there if Sabalenka doesnât win the US Open again.
âSabalenka can make up the points at Wimbledon, but so can Rybakina. So do I think she can end the year number one? Absolutely. No doubt about it.â
Sabalenkaâs stay at No.1 will extend through Rome â taking her total to 81 straight weeks â but once Roland Garros rolls around after Rome finishes up in late May, things could change quickly from there.
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