“The priority should be our health in general”: Swiatek questions demanding WTA schedule after losing No. 1 Spot

Iga Swiatek talks about the penalty that cost her the World No. 1 ranking, now held by Aryna Sabalenka. The Polish player has expressed her concerns over the demanding WTA calendar and the physical strain that the mandatory tournaments entail.

Swiatek didn’t meet the requirement to play in at least six WTA 500 tournaments (she only played in two this season), costing her 120 ranking points and allowing Sabalenka to take the top spot. All players who meet the criteria must also compete in the four Grand Slams and the ten WTA 1000 tournaments.

“Obviously it’s not our decision, but I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well, and it makes tennis less fun for us, let’s just say,” said the five-time Grand Slam champion a few months ago during the Cincinnati Open. “I don’t think it should be like that because we deserve to rest a little bit more. Obviously, maybe people are going to hate me for that.”

The Polish star is set to make her WTA Finals debut this Sunday against Barbora Krejcikova. In a press conference, Swiatek was asked if she felt her concerns were heard by WTA officials: “Well, I feel like when I first came to WTA, it was pretty tricky,” she replied. “Now I think they are listening to us much more. I've seen some progress in terms of communication.”

“Yeah, some things have already been decided regarding the calendar and mandatory tournaments. It’s something we kind of can’t take back because this is business, this is our contract, this is money. For sure, it’s not going to be easy. It depends.”

The World No. 2 stood firm on her decision to skip certain tournaments, even if it affects her ranking, as she believes that 20 mandatory events, many lasting two weeks, could have negative effects on players' health.

“I guess it’s all going to be about proper planning, making your own decisions, kind of, no matter what’s going on with the rankings or mandatory tournaments sometimes. For us as players, the priority should be our health in general,” she continued.

“We’ll see. For now, this has been the first year with all these mandatory tournament obligations. Maybe at the end of the season, there will be a good time to give some feedback and discuss it internally with the WTA,” added the four-time Roland Garros champion. “For now, obviously, we need to be ready for the season to be as long as it is. I’m sure for fans, it’s exciting. I’m going to prepare myself to be ready to play everything.”