Iga Swiatek says her feeling is that the authorities at the moment are listening “far more” to gamers once they air issues concerning the schedule however highlights that the scenario remains to be not excellent with the excessive variety of necessary occasions that the highest gamers are obliged to play.
Since mainly establishing herself as one of many faces of girls’s tennis in 2022, the Polish five-time Grand Slam champion has usually criticized the WTA calendar and referred to as for adjustments. And when it was revealed final yr that the WTA was planning so as to add extra necessary tournaments for this season, the 23-year-old was one of many first to talk out towards it.
Through the US Open, Swiatek criticized the tight calendar. After dropping within the quarterfinal at Flushing Meadows, she pulled out of the WTA 500 event in Seoul and in addition missed the WTA 1000 occasions in Beijing and Wuhan. Whereas it hasn’t been made public, all the possibilities are that the brand new world No. 2 was fined by the WTA for lacking a few massive tournaments.
On the WTA Finals in Riyadh – which is Swiatek’s first event in two months – the Pole was requested to handle her criticism of the schedule and if the officers are listening to her complaints. Answering the query, the 23-year-old famous that she is conscious there’s a business-side to all of this but additionally added that gamers cannot threat their well being.
“Properly, I really feel like once I first got here to WTA, it was fairly difficult. Now I feel that they’re listening to us far more. I’ve seen some progress when it comes to the communication. Yeah, some issues have been determined already when it comes to the calendar and necessary tournaments. It is one thing that we type of cannot take again as a result of that is enterprise, that is our contract, that is cash. For positive it isn’t going to be simple. It relies upon. I suppose it is all going to be about correct planning, making your personal choices type of, it doesn’t matter what’s happening with the rankings, necessary tournaments generally. For positive for us as gamers, the precedence needs to be our well being typically,” the four-time French Open champion stated.
Swiatek hopes one thing constructive for gamers might be performed
Up to now, the WTA hasn’t made any official statements concerning the complaints which have been made about their calendar during the last couple of years. However that does not imply that one thing will not occur behind the scenes because the Polish tennis star hopes that the gamers and the authorities can sit after the season ends and see if one thing might be performed to assist each side.
“We’ll see. For now, like, this has been first yr with all these necessary event obligations. Possibly on the finish of the season there’s going to be time to present some suggestions and speak about it internally with WTA. For now clearly we must be prepared for the season to be so long as it’s. I am positive for followers, it is thrilling. I will put together myself, as properly, to be able to play the whole lot,” Swiatek added.
Swiatek on making massive choices and coping with them
Whereas she was taking a break, the Pole additionally ended her three-year partnership with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and employed Wim Fissette, who break up with Naomi Osaka after the US Open.
When the 23-year-old determined that she and Wiktorowski ought to go their separate methods and that Fissette was the coach she wanted, it did not occur with out earlier overthinking. Nonetheless, the world No. 2 nonetheless feels she is now higher with making choices and refuses to be unfavourable.
“Properly, generally it is onerous to decide. However once you do it, I haven’t got any regrets often. I am an over-thinker. If I decide, I am fairly positive it’ll be one. So mainly I belief myself in that method. However for positive it was a lot tougher, like, couple of years in the past to make these type of choices,” Swiatek defined.
“Now I really feel like I do know a bit extra. Most likely sooner or later I will need to additionally make some choices. You may see probably the most skilled gamers on tour, they’re a bit older, skipping some tournaments, however really having the ability to play their finest video games on Grand Slams, the most important occasions that they actually care about. I feel like Novak, for instance, is a good instance of that. We will study from folks like that.”
After the WTA Finals, the five-time Grand Slam champion’s season will not be over after she just lately modified her thoughts and introduced that she is going to signify Poland on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Malaga between November 13-20.
