Iga Swiatek has opted out of the
Billie Jean King Cup Finals because of a scheduling clash.
The 4-time
Grand Slam champion was notably absent from the 2022 finals, despite having had
an almost perfect year that saw her win two Grand Slam titles and become the
World No. 1 with more than double the points of the second-ranked player, Ons
Jabeur.
Swiatek had
already missed the event in 2022, and she has now announced that she will sit
out the team competition for the second consecutive time due to a long season
that will culminate in the WTA Finals just two days before the start of the
Billie Jean King Cup.
According
to the Polish player, it would not be prudent to continue competing in
tournaments, and she expressed regret that the WTA and ITF were unable to reach
an agreement on the calendar to avoid such scheduling conflicts:
"I was
thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again, but I
will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow. And 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 was an honor and I hoped to
do this again at the end of the season,"
"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,” world No. 2 added.
"This
situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury. I'm going to talk
to the WTA and ITF in order to change something," Swiatek said.
World No. 2
is having an excellent week, reaching the final of the WTA 1000 China Open with
impressive victories over players such as Caroline Garcia (9th) and Coco Gauff
(3rd). In the final, she will face Russian player Ludmila Samsonova, who caused
a surprise in the semifinals by defeating Elena Rybakina (5th).