Swiatek calls for more rest on busy tennis calendar

After beating Mirra Andreeva in the Cincinnati quarter-finals on Saturday, Iga Swiatek called for a shortening of the tennis calendar in an interview with Sky Sports.

Action Plus / Panoramic

Ricky Dimon

August 18, 2024

Iga Swiatek continued to advance at the Western & Southern Open on Saturday The world No 1 battled past Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 to secure a semi-final spot for the second consecutive year at this WTA Premier 1000 event in Cincinnati.

Swiatek had plenty of praise for Andreeva following the competitive contest.

“The whole match was complicated for me,” the Pole admitted. “She played intensely from start to finish, she changed directions many times. She was really active and really in her game. I’m happy to have been able to be effective on break points in the third set and to have come out on top.”

I know the WTA is pushing us to play even more. It’s not our decision, but we should be able to play fewer tournaments during the year.
Iga Swiatek

However, just minutes after winning her 30th 1000-point match this season, Swiatek was asked about the crazy pace of the tennis calendar. The four-time Roland-Garros champion sent a clear message, calling on the WTA to lighten the number of tournaments during the year.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Swiatek insisted that there are too many tournaments and too many high-stakes matches for players throughout the season:

“What can I say? I’ve been an advocate for the women’s tour lately. I know the WTA is pushing us to play even more. It’s not our decision, but we should be able to play fewer tournaments during the year. It’s not going to end well. It makes the tour less fun for us. It’s quite taxing; any player will tell you that.

“Especially when you play at a very high level and you go quite far in all the tournaments. I love playing in different places in the world, but the schedule shouldn’t be like this. We deserve a little more rest. Maybe some people will hate me for this, it doesn’t necessarily make sense for me to make this request. I also think that the best players in the world, whether it’s Novak Djokovic or Serena Williams, were able to adapt and make their own decisions. We’ll see what happens in the future.”

Swiatek will face Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals on Sunday.