Iga Swiatek says WTA is ‘forcing us to play more events’
Iga Swiatek has taken a thinly veiled dig at the WTA over scheduling after she was asked about whether there is pressure from her sponsors to play certain tournaments.
Former world No 1 Swiatek has long been a critic of the overcrowded tennis calendar as she believes it has a massive impact on players’ performances and their long-term well-being.
“Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports,” the Pole stated in August 2024.
“There are sports that are really tough because, physically, you might get beat up. But most sports have four months off, sometimes even six.
“Our schedule is crazy, and it’s getting more crazy every year, which is scary. You just have to train wisely.”
Swiatek is not the only player who has raised concerns over the schedule as the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have also hit out at the ATP.
WTA players are required to play several mandatory tournaments during the season and failure to do so results in punishment in the form of “zero-pointers” with points for the lowest-performing events removed.
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Swiatek fell foul to that rule last year as she didn’t meet the WTA 500 tournament requirements, resulting in her losing the No 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka in October.
The issue was brought back into the spotlight by Swiatek after she was asked about pressure from sponsors and whether they prevent her from “doing certain things” like “miss a tournament”.
The world No 2 replied: “I am fortunate enough to have partnerships that kind of fit me. So it’s, obviously, like, I do all the stuff that I would need to do anyway.
“Like, I love driving with Porsche. I love wearing a Rolex. The same with Lancome, doing that as well. So obviously I love all of it, so it’s not like I’m forced to do stuff that I can’t.
“About the scheduling, I think my sponsors they understand, and if I would need to not play some kind of event, there wouldn’t be any situation where I would be forced.
“Because you know, health or preparing for some other tournaments comes first, and we know internally in the team how to find the best way.
“But obviously, like I think the WTA is kind of forcing us more to play the events, even when sometimes we would pass them.
“And the rules about, you know, for getting a zero in the ranking when you’re going to miss some tournament.
“So I think this is more unfortunate rather than like remembering to not drive any other car (laughing). Because, at the end, like, I think it’s important to have partnerships that fit you, you know. I think that’s the only way to go.”
