Stuttgart (Germany), Apr 19 (IANS): World No.1 Iga Swiatek has assured that she is "not injured anymore" and is ready for her title defense at the Stuttgart Open.

In March, Swiatek was forced to withdraw ahead of the Miami Open and Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers with a rib injury sustained during her run to the Indian Wells semifinals.

"I'm not injured anymore, so that's the most important thing for me. I feel like I used that time in Warsaw well to rest a little bit and to not think about tennis," Swiatek told reporters in Stuttgart.

"I have still been working out physically a little bit and obviously coming back to practicing step by step. Here I am, and I think I'm ready," she added.

Last year, in the midst of her 37-match win streak, the Pole made her tournament debut in Stuttgart and proceeded to roll to her fourth consecutive title, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Speaking about her title defense in Stuttgart, Swiantek stated that she is keeping her expectations low as it will be her first tournament after coming back from injury.

"I think any of us wants to win the tournament. For me, you know, it doesn't really matter what happened last year, because it's a totally different story. You know, I treat every tournament really as the one that I want to win

"For sure here it's a special one, because I have really nice memories from last year. It's the first tournament on clay. So, for sure I would love to play well, but I also know that I might be a little bit rusty, because coming back from injury, it's always a little bit like that. So, I'm keeping my expectations low, but for sure I want to play the best tennis possible," the Pole said.

Swiatek, after getting a first-round bye, will face a challenge in her opening match Thursday against China's Zheng Qinwen. The World No.25 has taken a set off Swiatek in both their previous meetings.