Tennis world No. 1 Iga Swiatek will not play in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, announcing her withdrawal via Instagram while noting that the WTA’s schedule is “not safe.”
Next month’s Cup Finals are scheduled to begin on Nov. 8 in Glasgow. The WTA Finals are due to end the day before in Texas. Swiatek, who has won two Grand Slams this year, said she will be “sad” to miss the event in Scotland.
“I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow,” Swiatek announced in a post on Instagram. “It makes me sad. 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 [in the qualifiers] was an honor and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.”
She also expressed her disappointment with the two governing bodies of women’s tennis, the ITF and WTA.
World number one Iga Swiatek will miss the 2022 BJK Cup Finals and has things to say about the scheduling, with the event being held again very close to the WTA Finals in a different part of the world. pic.twitter.com/JeY9q7jDB2
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 3, 2022
“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,” Swiatek said. “The situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury.”
Swiatek, who won her first US Open title last month, added that she is going to talk with both the WTA and ITF in order to “change something.”
“This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our sport,” she said.