Iga Swiatek has called the WTA out for the exhausting tennis schedule as more tournaments become mandatory for players
The world No. 1 warned that it wouldn’t “end well” as she made an impassioned statement during the Cincinnati Open.
But Swiatek is fearful that people will “hate” her for her comments.
The five-time Grand Slam champion regularly goes deep in every tournament she plays, making the turnaround time even more difficult. After her recent bronze medal win at the Olympics, she was back in action less than two weeks later.
The Paris 2024 Games have made the already-packed schedule even tighter this year. And Swiatek is feeling the effects despite another good run in Cincinnati. After beating Mirra Andreeva in a tight quarter-final, she told Sky Sports: “Well, what can I say? I’ve been kind of an advocate saying that we shouldn’t like, I don’t know, be pushing and pushing for us to play more.
The world No. 1 noted that they had no choice, though she thought the demanding calendar would eventually backfire. “Obviously it’s not our decision but for sure, I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well and it makes tennis less fun for us, let’s just say,” she continued.
Obviously I love playing in all these places but it’s pretty exhausting and I think most of the WTA players would tell you that. Especially when you’re playing at a high level and going to high rounds at every tournament.”
While Swiatek is confident that most of her colleagues feel the same way, she feared that she would face backlash for her opinion. The 23-year-old added: “So I don’t think it should be like that because we deserve to rest a little bit more. Obviously maybe people are going to hate me for that.
Retired player-turned-pundit Tim Henman joked that Swiatek would get more rest if she didn’t win so much and she replied: “I know, it sounded weird like I’m asking for rest. It doesn’t really make sense. But the truth is that you kind of need to keep up with the tour.”
Swiatek’s claims aren’t surprising given the schedule requirements players on the WTA Tour must meet. All four Grand Slams and all 10 WTA 1000 tournaments are now mandatory. And from next season, most 1000-point events will last 12 days. The athletes must also enter six WTA 500 draws.
