"There will be injuries, there will be pullouts": Lasting factor of hectic schedule mooted by Iga Swiatek

The schedule is a topic never too far away in tennis, with players always having their say on what changes should be made to a busy calendar. Iga Swiatek is the latest big name to offer their thoughts on the situation.

"The calendar is tough. Not many players will be able to go to further rounds of tournaments all the time. Yeah, there will be injuries. There will be pull-outs." Swiatek made these comments in Dubai, a tournament in which the World No. 1 was defeated at the semi final stages. She blamed fatigue as one of the factors behind her loss.

The current World No. 1 has been forced to miss the Billie Jean King Cup the last two years for scheduling reasons as well as injury, facing backlash in 2022 as it came too soon after the season-ending championship, before picking up an injury in Miami prior to the 2023 edition, causing her to miss that event as well.

After losing to Anna Kalinskaya in Dubai, Swiatek said it was more down to the level of her own game compared to that of her opponent's. "There will be people that are too fatigued to play their game," the Pole added. "That will also contribute. Sometimes the underdog wins and it's just easier for them.

"It's a mix of these things, I would say. Yeah, that's how the thing will look like, I guess."