Iga Swiatek is ramping up her preparations ahead of her first match at the Madrid Open.
Swiatek played her first tournament with Francisco Roig as her coach in Stuttgart, where she lost in the quarterfinals to Mirra Andreeva.
There were still some of the same concerns for Swiatek, who has some issues within her game that are being exposed.
As she looks to continue her work with Roig, Swiatek has made a rare decision ahead of her opening match in the Spanish capital.
Iga Swiatek will practice with Pablo Carreno Busta ahead of her first match in Madrid
Swiatek will play qualifier Daria Snigur in her first match in Madrid, after the Ukrainian saved four match points to beat Daria Kasatkina.
It is not rare for women’s tennis players to have male hitting partners, but it is less common for WTA players to practice with active ATP players.
However, Swiatek is on the practice schedule for the main Manolo Santana court with former top 10 player Pablo Carreno Busta.
Carreno Busta is the current world 94 and required a wildcard for his home Masters 1000 tournament at the Madrid Open this year.
The former US Open semifinalist will play Marton Fucsovics in his first round match at the Madrid Open.
Where do you think she will be ranked?
Iga Swiatek’s previous results at the Madrid Open
Despite her relatively poor recent form, Swiatek has every reason to believe that she can do well at the Madrid Open this year.
Swiatek is a former champion at the Madrid Open, having beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the 2024 final in a match that was voted the best of the WTA season that year.
The six-time Grand Slam champion reached the semifinals last year, before Swiatek was thrashed by Coco Gauff in a match where she won just two games.
| Year | Iga Swiatek’s result at the Madrid Open |
| 2021 | Third Round |
| 2023 | Final |
| 2024 | Won the title |
| 2025 | Semfinal |
Swiatek will be hoping to reach the latter stages of the Madrid Open again this year, but she is in the same half of the draw as Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina and Andreeva.
Before she can look ahead to those potential matches, Swiatek will face the aforementioned Snigur, who she has never played before.
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