Iga Swiatek condemns WTA Tour organization and schedules

Tennis superstar Iga Swiatek recently criticized the WTA for the organization following her victory at the WTA Finals.

The Polish player ended the year in a dreamlike fashion by reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking in her last tournament of the year, becoming the champion of the Finals to finish the year at the top.

Although she didn't have the overwhelming year she had in 2022 and lost the No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka for several weeks, the 4-time Grand Slam champion is the 12th tennis player to finish the year as No. 1 in consecutive seasons. This year, she won six tournaments, reached two more finals, and finished with a record of 68-11 (86%), winning her last 11 matches consecutively.

In the Finals, she lost only 20 games on her way to the title, averaging four per match, setting a record for the tournament. After her impressive week in Cancun, Swiatek criticized the WTA for the organization of the tournament.

"We are participating in a season that is very taxing, and the next one will be even more intense. We feel like we’re beating our heads against the wall. Everything has already been decided without consulting us, and now we are looking for a solution how we can reach a compromise,"

"It would be nice if the WTA shared its plans with us before making decisions. It’s supposed to be an organisation of women’s players, but we have nothing to say. It took us some time to gather into one group and take joint action,"

Swiatek also confirmed that the top players are not satisfied with the situation of Mandatory tournaments, to which they are obliged to go, despite the seasons being quite long, which can affect their physical well-being:

"We’re really united to have an impact and to do something. We are not happy with some things, and we want to change the schedule for next year," she added.

"We’re going to have [many] more mandatory tournaments and it’s going to have a huge negative impact on our health and wellbeing. I’m 22, and I played two of the most intense seasons in my life. I already feel like it’s going to be tough for me to continue for so many years ahead if the WTA is going to go that way, to increase the number of mandatory tournaments," Swiatek concluded.