Iga Swiatek has stressed her displeasure at the tennis schedule, with the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup set to clash.
Swiatek has always been proud to represent Poland and made her Billie Jean King Cup debut back in 2018. She has a 7-3 record, though, she has yet to win the competition.
Equally, the world number one has her eyes set on winning the WTA Finals –– the end-of-year tournament that comprises the top eight players in the world this year.
Swiatek will be the top seed for the tournament, which takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, this November.
However, her participation will mean that she is likely unable to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup, which starts just one day after the Finals conclude.
The Pole would, therefore, have to get from Dallas to Glasgow and be ready to play within the space of 24 hours.
Should Swiatek be knocked out of the Finals early, her chances of representing Poland would increase but the 21-year-old is the firm favourite to go all the way in Texas.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Iga Swiatek of Poland returns a shot against Aryna Sabalenka during their Women’s Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
What does Swiatek think?
Speaking of the decision to schedule the events so close together, Swiatek said: "I am dissatisfied, although I know that arranging everything is complicated.
“Certainly, the fact that the WTA and ITF federations in a sense did not cooperate to facilitate our task is irritating to me. I will definitely take steps to let them know about my dissatisfaction."
The three-time major winner refused to confirm whether she’ll represent Poland or not and stressed that she still doesn’t know if it’s possible to do both.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 08: Iga Swiatek of Poland returns a shot against Aryna Sabalenka during their Women’s Singles Semifinal match on Day Eleven of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
"I don't understand the scheduling,” she admitted. “I'm not gonna lie that I'm happy about the fact that if I go deep in [the] Finals, I will have to not only play tired but also jetlagged the next day. So I can't confirm whether I'll represent Poland or not. I'm sorry."
Swiatek’s father echoed her thoughts and was even more scathing of the schedule.
"[It’s an extremely unfortunate deal, “ he said. “And yet we have a very difficult group for that in the BJK Cup. The dates of both events are missed. There is a clash between the ITF (organisers of the BJK Cup) and the WTA (organisers of the WTA Finals). Instead of taking care of the development of women's tennis, they cannot communicate.”
Who else is in the WTA Finals?
Swiatek has already secured her spot in the WTA Finals this year, along with world number two Ons Jabeur.
Like Swiatek, Jabeur has enjoyed an impressive year –– reaching two Grand Slam finals and winning the Madrid Open.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 06: Ons Jabeur of Tunisia returns a shot against Ajla Tomlijanovic of Australia during their Women’s Singles Quarterfinal match on Day Nine of the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 06, 2022 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
US stars Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are third and fourth in the race to the Finals respectively and have all but secured their qualification as well.
Caroline Garcia, Aryna Sabalenka, Daria Kasatkina and Simona Halep round out the top eight as it stands.
Halep, however, has confirmed she will not play for the rest of the season, meaning Veronika Kudermetova will clinch the final spot if things stay the same.