Iga Swiatek: Criticizes schedule, will not play Billie Jean King Finals

• She claimed it will prevent her from taking part in the WTA Finals.
• The finals were supposed to take place in Glasgow on November 8.
• But are now scheduled for later this month.
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Iga Swiatek protested upcoming tennis tournament schedule, claimed it will prevent her from participating in Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The finals will be held later this month.

The finals, which get underway in Glasgow on November 8, were supposed to feature the world number one representing Poland.

The WTA Finals in Texas are scheduled to finish the day before, though.

The three-time Grand Slam winner claimed that the schedule “is not safe” and added that it made her feel “sad” to miss an event.

“I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow,” Iga Swiatek announced in a post on Instagram.

“It makes me sad. I’m very sorry, because I play for Poland whenever it’s possible and I always give it my best.

“Playing in Poland this year [in the qualifiers] was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.”

The 21-year-old won the US Open last month, becoming the second major winner of 2022 for her after winning the French Open thrice.

Swiatek will compete in the season-ending WTA Finals, which begin on October 31 in Fort Worth, Texas, and feature a round-robin formatted competition between the top eight players on the Race to the WTA Finals.

To advance to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and represent their country, athletes from Fort Worth, which is six hours behind Glasgow, would have one day to travel.

“I’m disappointed that tennis governing bodies didn’t come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone,” Swiatek said.

“The circumstance poses a risk to our health and may result in harm.

“I’m going to talk to the WTA and ITF in order to change something. This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our sport.”