Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek’s major calendar changes confirmed

The Billie Jean King Cup Finals has suffered a triple blow as US Open champion Coco Gauff, four-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and world No 4 Jessica Pegula won’t feature at the prestigious competition.

There were always going to be high-profile withdrawals from the team tournament due to the scheduling and venues of the final few events of the 2023 WTA Tour season.

The world’s top eight singles players – including Swiatek and Gauff – and the world’s top eight doubles pairings will bring the curtain down on their campaign at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, with the season-ending event running from October 30 until November 5 at Plaza Quintana Roo.

The Billie Jean King Cup then gets underway a day later in Seville, Spain, meaning the players who reach the latter stages of the WTA Finals won’t have much time in between the tournaments.

United States captain Kathy Rinaldi named her squad for the tournament on Monday and both world No 3 Gauff and Pegula were absent from the five-player team.

Besides the scheduling problems, Gauff is struggling with a shoulder injury she picked up during the recent China Open. The teenager also pulled out of this week’s WTA 500 Zhengzhou Open due to the problem and her next event the WTA Finals in three weeks’ time.

Rinaldi selected Madison Keys, Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins, Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend for the Group A clashes against Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Swiatek’s decision didn’t come as a surprise as she also missed last year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals due to poor scheduling. Poland have been handed a wildcard and will face Canada and Spain in Group C.

“I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow. And it makes me sad,” Swiatek said.

“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 was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.

“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.”

READ MORE: WTA Finals venue is confirmed and it is set to create a huge problem for players