Imagine doing something you absolutely love, over and over again, until the joy starts to fade. At first, it feels exhilarating, every moment filled with passion and excitement. But after countless repetitions, the thrill starts to wear off, and fatigue quietly creeps in. Tennis isn’t immune to this reality. Even the best of the best can feel the weight of the relentless grind, and the latest to speak out about this challenge is none other than World No. 1, Iga Swiatek.

The Polish sensation is on a remarkable run at the Cincinnati Open this season. She ousted Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of Cincinnati to reach the semifinals, where she will now be facing Aryna Sabalenka. But what followed after the match was an honest take from Swiatek, which led to controversy. Calling out the scheduling challenges, the Pole said, “I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well. It makes tennis less fun for us. we deserve to rest a little bit more.” But, while many lashed out at her for her views, she found support from the former pro-Chris Evert.

Taking to X, Evert re-shared the post by Tennis Channel and backed Swiatek’s rant. “I certainly can understand @iga_swiatek concern about playing too many tournaments, especially when you go deep in tournaments every week.” She further highlighted the additional tournament that took place this year in the form of the Paris Olympics. To prepare for the grand stage, several players were seen participating in more tournaments, thereby taking a toll on their physical abilities. 

Evert claimed that this is an important topic that should be discussed, signifying that the backlashes were not appropriate. This comes at a time when another former player lashed out at Swiatek for her remarks. Earlier, former Russian player Kafelnikov Yevgeny slammed the 23-year-old for her take over the issue. “Is someone pushing you to play ??? All you fricking do is complain!! I’ll tell you what you deserve ! You deserve to get paid a lot less than you do now!! How about that??✌️😉,” he said. This, however, is not the first time when Swiatek has called out the scheduling challenges. 

After winning the Madrid Open this year, Swiatek highlighted the challenges that regular tournaments pose ahead of players. “Even if I win [a tournament], it doesn’t stick in my head. I celebrate for one day, then I’m off to another tournament … in my head,” she said pointing towards the lack of joy that continuous tournaments bring. However, this is not the only controversy that the Polish star finds herself in.

Swiatek accused of using wrong ‘tactics’ by former American pro

Swiatek has definitely proven her mettle on the tennis courts and her impeccable skills have stood out as the reason behind her success. But time and again, she has found herself engulfed in controversies and the one revolving around her extended breaks has once again started to simmer. Former American pro Coco Vandeweghe accused Swiatek of using this tactic to break the momentum of her opponents.

After the 23-year-old’s latest match against Mirra Andreeva, Vandeweghe lashed out at the star player. Mentioning that “it’s been spoken about, Iga’s tactic of going to the bathroom, changing her kit, taking her time, ALWAYS after losing a set,” Vandeweghe claimed, “If I was still playing, I would definitely be very aware of it… she’s trying to disrupt my rhythm…”

Earlier, Yulia Putintseva also made similar claims against Swiatek, despite mentioning that it did not annoy her as much. But as the season progresses, it would be interesting to see if Swiatek can come out of these controversies, and win yet another slam at the US Open this year.