Iga Swiatek criticizes tennis tournaments’ risky scheduling

“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,” 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.”

Iga Swiatek won the US Open for the first time last month. Following two French Open victories, this is her second major triumph of 2022.

The last WTA Finals of the season, which start on October 31 in Fort Worth, Texas, will feature a round-robin structured battle amongst the top eight women in the Race to the WTA Finals, and she will take part in it.

Athletes from Fort Worth, which is six hours behind Glasgow, would have one day to travel in order to proceed to the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and represent their nation.

“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,” she added.

“The situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury.

“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.”

The International Tennis Federation has promised to enhance the 2023 player calendar.

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