Iga Swiatek “ready to play til November” despite scheduling gripes, US Open defeat
The world No. 1 has been critical of the rules regarding mandatory tournaments since the Cincinnati Open, but won’t be taking any breaks in advance of the WTA Finals.
NEW YORK—Despite misgivings for the rigors of the WTA calendar, Iga Swiatek isn’t planning a long break in advance of the 2024 off-season.
“I don't want to take a break,” said the world No. 1 after bowing out of the US Open in the quarterfinals. “It's tough. It could be a little bit easier, but I'm keeping up with the schedule. I'm only talking about mandatory tournaments and there are rules about mandatory tournaments.
“But I'm ready for playing till November, I guess, unless I'm going to get injured.”
Swiatek spoke just after a 6-2, 6-4 defeat to No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula, who was 0-6 in major quarterfinals heading into their 10th head-to-head encounter (Swiatek now leads 6-4).
There are people saying that, ‘Oh, I don't have to play so many tournaments, but…the fact is that we have so many mandatory tournaments that we literally need to show up and we don't have time to work on stuff or live peacefully, because from one tournament we're going straight to another...the season is, for sure, too long. Iga Swiatek
Two weeks before the tournament began, she first drew attention to the rules regarding the number of tournaments that players are required to enter, relevant in particular due to the added schedule pressure presented by the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
“I think players are aware that this is crazy what's going on,” Swiatek said after winning her first round in Flushing Meadows. “The schedule is really tough. I know that, I mean, I spoke about it in Cincinnati, for example, and there are people saying that, ‘Oh, I don't have to play so many tournaments, but…the fact is that we have so many mandatory tournaments that we literally need to show up and we don't have time to work on stuff or live peacefully, because from one tournament we're going straight to another.
“We don't even have time until the end of the year, because literally the first tournament starts on 29th of December,” she added. “So yeah, the season is, for sure, too long.”
As of the US Open, Swiatek, who won her fifth Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros in June, has competed 15 times in 2024—including weeks at United Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. Provided she indeed remains healthy, the 23-year-old will likely enter at least two more WTA 1000 tournaments in Wuhan and Beijing, China, ahead of the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where she is defending champion and is likely to qualify this fall.
Swiatek will retain the No. 1 ranking through next week regardless of subsequent results at the US Open.