"I'm not at all angry with them" - Swiatek on Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula not supporting her stance and withdrawing from Billie Jean King Cup

Iga Swiatek has quashed any claims of being miffed with fellow tennis superstars Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula for agreeing to play in the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup (BJK Cup), thereby undermining Swiatek's appeal to the WTA and ITF against unfavorable and hectic scheduling on tour. 

The World No.1 announced her withdrawal from the Billie Jean King Cup a few weeks ago as she would have had just a day of rest after the WTA Finals concludes on November 7 in Fort Worth, Texas, before flying to Glasgow, Scotland, to play her opening match for Poland at the BJK Cup. The Roland Garros champion highlighted that such scheduling affects players' health and vowed to work out the issue with the WTA and ITF.

Meanwhile, Gauff and Pegula have also qualified for the WTA Finals in both singles and doubles, and are still committed to representing the United States at the BJK Cup. Swiatek respects their choices and said that she never expected them to follow her in withdrawing from the BJK Cup.

"I'm not at all angry with them (Gauff and Pegula), and I never expected them to make the same decision," Swiatek said when asked about sentiment from fans that the Pole could have done the same, during an interview with Gazeta.PL.

Having said that, Swiatek is curious to see how Gauff and Pegula will manage the intense demands of the schedule.

"But I am very curious how they will handle themselves and whether it will affect their well-being," the 21-year-old added.

The Pole reiterated her main reason for withdrawing from an important tournament like the BJK Cup, to take a stance for the well-being of players and against the ill effects caused by a hectic schedule. The three-time Grand Slam champion further appealed to the WTA and ITF to ensure that such a situation does not occur again next season.

"I had to take such steps because planning is unfortunate and unfavorable for tennis players. I don't understand why this is happening for the second year in a row. As a consequence, last year and this season, some players have been able to pay for it by joining the two tournaments in a very short period of time and in different parts of the world," Swiatek further stated." Hopefully the WTA next year and the ITF will really work together on the dates and locations of these two events."