"We are determined to continue working with the WTA" - ITF reacts directly to Iga Swiatek's appointment criticism
ITF President David Haggerty took the criticism from industry leader Iga Swiatek to heart and promptly responded to allegations of the chaos at the end of the season.
by Stefan Bergmann
last edit: Oct 05, 2022, 06:19 pm
Two 500 tournaments in Ostrau and San Diego, then a 1000 event in Guadalajara, Mexico and to top it off the WTA finals in Fort Worth, Texas, and immediately afterwards the final of the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow, Scotland. Iga Swiatek, number one in the world rankings, isn't the only one wondering how this stress plus the double jetlag should be mastered.
We have already reported in the last few days that the Pole has repeatedly expressed public criticism of the final phase of the tournament calendar, most recently at a press conference of the WTA Tour 500 event in Ostrava (Czech Republic), where the meanwhile triple Grand Slam Championesse is currently in the quarterfinals. The fact that no break was planned between the WTA finals and the Billie Jean King Cup when the venues are so far apart is a thorn in the side of the lady from Warsaw, which is why she canceled participation in the team competition.
"We were able to confirm the BJK Cup finals in June"
ITF President David Haggerty understands the anger of this year's French and US Open winner, so he reacted immediately with understanding to the reproach from the industry leader: "The ITF regrets that Iga Swiatek cannot take part in the Billie Jean King Cup and recognizes that the timing of the two major year-end events poses a challenge for players wishing to compete in both events."
"We have been working with the WTA to coordinate suitable dates, we were able to confirm the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow back in June, the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas was scheduled to take place during the US Open. We are committed to continuing to work with the WTA on the 2023 calendar to allow for a smoother transition between the two competitions."