Iga Swiatek will not play for Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup 2021

Iga Swiatek announced on her Twitter that she will not represent Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup 2021.

In a lengthy statement issued on Twitter, Swiatek touched upon the reasoning behind her decision not to play in the Billie Jean King Cup 2021. The young Polish star explained that while she will not participate in the Billie Jean King Cup she will play at the Olympics representing her native Poland. For her, that is an honour and something she always wanted to do.

She highlighted her commitment to playing for Poland but this year the Olympics are more important for her. She thanked everyone for the support and she underlined her hope in representing Poland at the Billie Jean King Cup in the future. One of the factors behind this decision has been the pandemic which she noted in the statement as well.

You can find the translated version of the Polish version of the statement below:

"Since I can remember, playing with an eagle on my chest is more than a sports competition for me, representing the country is an honor and one of the most important goals for me. I will do my best to play for the Polish national team, because it is important to me, also because of my family traditions.

This year, unfortunately, I do not have such an option - I will not play in Billie Jean King Cup 2021 and I wanted to tell you about it. I am very grateful for your support, for the fact that you are cheering in front of the TV sets, that you leave words of encouragement for me. Thanks to this, in the first year of the tour, when I am not at home for several months, when the dates change very dynamically due to the pandemic, and until the last moment, I am not sure if I will play in the tournament or when I will return to Poland.

This year, the Olympic Games are ahead of me - as you know, an event that is very important to me. I hope that I will proudly represent Poland in Tokyo, and in the coming years, I will have the opportunity to play in the Billie Jean King Cup. This year I keep my fingers crossed for the team and I will support everyone as much as I can." - Iga