The former world No.1 ramped up her preparations for Roland-Garros with a last-16 spot in WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
➡️ Roland-Garros 2026 women's singles draw
“I feel like the clay season this year, it's been a little bit hard to judge for me,” the world No.16 said.
“I felt like I was playing well in Madrid, but then obviously I played [Aryna] Sabalenka and I lost there [6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2]. I felt like I had my chances, which was a good takeaway.
“Then we went into Rome… I thought I played my first two matches really well, and then Iga (Swiatek) said, ‘Hell, no!’ She slapped me in the ground. That was a little crazy.
“Honestly, that blew my confidence a lot, but I just had to step away, knowing that she's the best clay court player, and I still have a lot to learn. The score was wild (6-2, 6-1), but it was a little bit closer, there was a lot of deuce games or whatever.”