World No. 1 Swiatek shakes off health concerns ahead of Wimbledon

London, July 2 (IANS) A day after pulling out before her semifinal match in Bad Homburg, World No.1 Iga Swiatek set aside concerns over her health and is gearing up for Wimbledon.

Swiatek had a difficult night in Bad Homburg, Germany, last week, where she withdrew from the semifinals with a GI illness.

"I had a stomachache. But I don't know if there was something wrong or not. Later in the day, I felt OK, so I'm pretty sure it's going to be fine," she told the media on Saturday.

Swiatek, who opens her Wimbledon campaign against Zhu Lin on Monday, said she's finding her rhythm quicker on the grass court this year, which she attributed to a more positive outlook.

Discussing a challenging match against Viktorija Golubic from 2019, Swiatek stressed the importance of focus. This year, she said, she's dedicated more energy to training and mastering the grass surface.

"I feel like this time [is] the first year where I could just focus on practicing, actually learning a lot. So hopefully I'm going to be able to use that in my matches," Swiatek said.

The transition from Roland Garros to Wimbledon, Swiatek noted, can be tricky with the quick turnaround time between events.Last month, she went on to win her third French Open title. After a two-week break, she made the trip to Bad Homburg and reached the semifinals, the furthest she had advanced in a grass-court event in her career.

It’s a good sign heading into Wimbledon, which historically has been her worst among the four majors. In three appearances, Swiatek has compiled a 5-3 record. Two years ago, she reached the fourth round, and last year she fell in the third.

"For sure, I believe the best players, they can play on all surfaces. I want to kind of become that kind of player who can play well on grass as well and feel comfortable there," Swiatek said.

"I'm doing my best to just work on my skills. Last year, I feel like we've done a pretty good job with my coach in terms of my touch and getting back slices and also playing slice sometimes," she added.

Swiatek is looking to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2015 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

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