Dominika Cibulkova, who lost to Simona Halep in the Madrid Open final, says her tactics didn’t work the way she wanted them to. Though now ranked No. 26, she will not play Rome this week.
She had previously beaten Halep three times. But the Romanian—who earned her second career win over the Slovakian—was too strong in the Madrid final, winning 6-2, 6-4.
“I didn't want to rush it too much,” the 27-year-old Cibulkova, who won four three-setters in the tournament, said. "...That's what you have to do against these players like [Agnieszka] Radwanska and Halep. You cannot rush. You still have to play aggressive. It's not easy to get balanced, these two things. From the beginning I didn't want to get rushed, but then I realized that I'm not playing my tennis.
"I have to be much more aggressive because she was just getting every ball back. When I played one shot, she was just going for it. I could be more aggressive, more changing, like when I was running for the ball to play much more down the lines. But it's easy to say.”
Cibulkova was hurt last year. She missed four months due to a left Achilles injury, but won a small tournament in Katowice last month. The former Australian Open finalist reached the Top 10 back in 2014, and she likes to play on clay, having reached the quarters of Roland Garros in 2012.
She is taking a week off to get ready for the clay-court major.
“I just want to get some rest and prepare for Roland Garros,” she said, “because my game on clay really came together. I know what to do.”