Iga Swiatek is all set to begin her clay season at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart this week. She’s a two-time champion at the venue, winning the title on her debut in 2022 and defending it successfully a year later. She tasted her first defeat at the venue when she lost to Elena Rybakina in the semifinals last year.

Swiatek had a hearty chat with the press ahead of her campaign in Stuttgart. The conversation revolved around her results this year and her expectations from her current tournament, before moving on to a slightly controversial topic.

Many top players across the ATP and WTA Tours recently sent a letter to the Grand Slams asking for an increase in prize money. Swiatek, who was one of the signatories, was asked to give her thoughts regarding the matter.

Swiatek admitted that the players have been discussing the prize money issue, among other things, with the Majors. She also pointed out the disparity in the payout between tennis and other sports. However, she kept her cards close to her chest and didn’t want to disclose everything before the players had first sorted it out amongst themselves.

“Well, I think, like, there’s some data available on the Internet about the comparison between tennis and other sports. For sure we’ve been discussing with Grand Slams about many topics. Yeah, I mean, it could be better, but I’m not going to say a lot because, first of all, we need to figure it out kind of internally. For sure there’s some time needed to do that. Yeah, I don’t want to speak out right now about that,” Swiatek said.

Along with Swiatek, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka are some of the other prominent names to have signed the letter. Despite the off-court distraction, the Pole is ready to begin her quest for a third title in Stuttgart.

Iga Swiatek will begin her campaign in Stuttgart against either Donna Vekic or Jana Fett

Iga Swiatek has received a first-round bye at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2025 in Stuttgart as the second seed. She will begin her challenge for a third title at the venue against either Donna Vekic or qualifier Jana Fett.

Swiatek has a 4-0 record against Vekic, dropping only one set across their four encounters. She won their previous meeting at the Italian Open 2023 in straight sets. She also won her only prior match against Fett in straight sets at Wimbledon 2022.

Swiatek’s road to the title gets complicated after that. She could bump into seventh seed Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals, or even her nemesis Jelena Ostapenko. The Latvian leads has a perfect 5-0 record in their rivalry. One of Jessica Pegula or Mirra Andreeva will be her semifinal opponent, followed by a likely showdown against either Aryna Sabalenka or Coco Gauff in the final.

Rohit is a journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in covering tennis. Having been with the company for three years, he has proven himself as a formidable force in the field. With a Master’s degree in law, Rohit brings his analytical and research skills to the forefront as a journalist. He stays on top of the game by using social media platforms and never misses a match for on-court insights. He values giving credit where it’s due, keeping his reporting fair and accurate.

At the outset of his career, Rohit found his niche in writing previews and SEO pieces and it’s this expertise that continues to define his role at Sportskeeda. He is particularly proud of one article that garnered an impressive 750k views and surpassed his “wildest dreams.” Rohit is not particularly fond of (GOAT) debates and it is one of the reasons why he left the legal world behind. He prefers to view players in “tiers,” where they’re all esteemed to an extent. However, if pressed to name favorites, he would choose Serena and Venus Williams. The Williams sisters’ journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of tennis has been his greatest source of inspiration.

When he isn’t busy making spot-on predictions about match outcomes, Rohit likes reading, particularly fantasy, sci-fi, and comics. As an X-Men fanatic, he’s also passionate about board games and enjoys watching movies in his spare time. And don’t be surprised if you catch him silently wishing to the tennis gods for the removal of ad scoring from doubles.