Do players like competing the week before a Grand Slam? Here's what they said

WIMBLEDON -- The Grass-Court Swing on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz just flies by. 

There's just 23 days between the Roland Garros singles final and the first day of the main draw at Wimbledon, with three weeks of lead-up tournaments -- three WTA 500s and WTA 250s each. Most players will play at least one or two tournaments during the stretch, but the week before can vary depending on the player.

The week before a Grand Slam specifically, factors such as points, injuries and players' personal preferences on adjusting to the Slam's venue and surface can play a role into their decisions to play or not. On the grounds in Wimbledon, wtatennis.com asked players in their various media sessions the following question:

Do you like to play a tournament the week leading into a Grand Slam, and does it change depending on what Slam it is? 

Here's what they had to say: 

Jessica Pegula: "I have done both [ways] and sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

"My decision this year -- it was my decision after I lost first round here last year, was that I wasn't going to play the week before. I just felt the grass played a lot different. I felt like I went out there for my first round, and I wasn't prepared as well as I could have been for the conditions.

"Even your racquet stringing, how the tension is with the weather, I think this week I had a whole range of where I hit on a couple of different match courts that were in different areas. I hit at Aorangi, I hit on super-hot days. I hit the last couple days where it cooled down a little bit.

"Last year I ran into someone who was playing really good grass court tennis, and I didn't put myself in the best position conditions-wise, and I have been playing good on grass.

"This year in Berlin, I was still thinking maybe I should take a wildcard if this doesn't go well, because I don't want to be sitting around in Europe for two weeks also not competing. It's so hard in tennis because it's really based on how you're feeling on that surface, physically how you're feeling, mentally how you're feeling and it worked out perfect.

"I was able to make the finals of Berlin and just come here and practice. It was great. If I had lost earlier in Berlin. I'm not so sure I'd be doing the same situation. It's just the crazy thing about tennis, you're just going day by day with what happens and how you feel."

Mirra Andreeva: "Before, I would say that I preferred to have a tournament two weeks before -- play a tournament, then a week of practice, then a Grand Slam.

"After Paris, I was supposed to play Berlin. After, I felt I really needed a little bit more time to calm down and get back to practice. You just have to practice a lot before starting the grass season. This year, a week before a Grand Slam -- I played Adelaide, I played Bad Homburg. Before Paris I had a couple of days [of practice] before it started.

"It kind of depends on the schedule, it always changes. We talk with the team and we decide what's better."

Coco Gauff: "Typically on all the slams, I like to not play the week before because a) sponsor things. Everybody likes to do stuff the week before. Also, I like to just have time to adjust and ground myself in the site.

"Bad Homburg, I was deciding if I wanted to play or not. I [was] literally down to 30 minutes before I had to tell if I was going to play or not. I just decided not to. Maybe it was an emotional decision because after I lost in Berlin right that day.

"Also, I felt I needed to train and actually work on the fundamentals of grass. For me, yes, I have enough matches under my belt this year. I've been playing non-stop since March -- maybe not grass matches -- but I was lacking some fundamentals. I really do think I was able to quickly fix a lot of those this week of just practicing."

Gauff did not play the week prior to her two Grand Slam titles -- 2023 US Open and 2025 French Open.

Jelena Ostapenko: "It's actually very interesting. Two Slams I played a tournament [before] and two Slams I don't play. I play Adelaide always because I am not used to practicing that week, I'm used to always playing a tournament. French Open, I never play the week before because I want to stay home a bit.

"Wimbledon, second year in a row, I don't play any tournaments [leading up] except the week before because it's my birthday always [laughing]. I want to stay home, and this year, I went to Greece to celebrate. US Open, I also don't play before because we have a friend and we stay in his house for US Open."

Madison Keys: "I've had success with Slams having a practice week, and I've also had success at Slams playing the week before. I've also bombed out both ways [laughing].

"Especially on the grass, it's always good to try to get as many reps on the surface. It's such a small window of a season that I feel it's really important to try to get those extra matches. 


"It helps to be a way from the Slam the week before because I feel sometimes being here, you can feel the pressure building. Sometimes, I prefer to be in another tournament and keep my mind on directly in front of me instead of being at a tournament 10 days before and worrying about my first round 10 days from now."

In 2025, Keys won 12 straight matches, including titles in Adelaide and Australian Open, to win her first Grand Slam title.

Iva Jovic: "It's been a big topic in my team recently. I did it at Australian Open. I played the lead up and it ended well. Sometimes, I feel that you're a little bit tired if you do well in the lead up, and then if you make a deep run in the slam, you've been going for three weeks. 


"It's hard to say. Beginning of the year, absolutely, because off an offseason, you want to get matches. For grass, because no one really plays on grass, it's great. But maybe French and US Open, it's not as necessary."

Jovic reached the final in Hobart, the 250 before the Australian Open, ultimately reaching the quarterfinals at the Slam.

Belinda Bencic: "Earlier in my career, I didn't mind so much. I didn't know how I'm going to feel, how is a Grand Slam going to feel. The older I get, the more I have to be careful the week before a Grand Slam, and I'm rarely playing the week before a Grand Slam. Maybe Australian Open is the only one that you can do that. Now I prefer to be here and prepare."

Amanda Anisimova: "I'm someone who doesn't like to play a tournament the week before a Grand Slam. I like to train at the courts here, get as many practice sets in as I can to kind of simulate as if I was playing a tournament, and I like to be in the conditions of the Grand Slam right before."

"If I were to play a tournament -- if I play, I give all my energy and effort, and I feel like one tournament can take a lot from you. Then, going straight into Grand Slam, it can be very difficult and physically demanding on the body.  I always choose to just train the week before."

Anisimova did not play the week before ahead of her runs to 2025 finals at Wimbledon and US Open.

Karolina Pliskova: "On grass, there used to be just two weeks of tournaments now there is three, so you can actually take this one week off.

"If I would just lose early in the rounds, like the tournament, I would definitely play the week before. I think it depends in which stage you are -- if you need matches or not, if you are like feeling something, a little bit injured or not.

"I tried like all the possible scenarios, to play, not to play. US Open and Australian Open, I usually never really played the week before, because I always did well at the tournaments. Also, I did well always the week before Wimbledon, and then I usually ended up losing like first or second round. Then, when I lost that one year when I went to the [Wimbledon] final, I lost in the first round in Eastbourne. That kind of gave me the week here, and it was better.

"This year is just very specific for me. Since I didn't play anything last year, I didn't just want to play that many tournaments, and I feel like I need a bit more time in between tournaments and matches."