The schedule of tennis matches is only getting hectic with each day. From the Wimbledon Champions to the recent Canadian Open to the ongoing Cincinnati Open, the issue is not solved. Iga Swiatek expressed her stance on the brutal scheduling earlier, but nothing came out of it. When Elena Rybakina lost at the semi-final of the Canadian Open, Swiatek made her point clear by asking the authorities to keep players health in mind while fixing the schedule.
The lack of rest drastically impacts performance, and many top players are under the stress of playing continuous matches without enough pause. Condemning the gruesome schedule, Swiatek expressed what would be better for the players.
Iga Swiatek speaks her heart out about scheduling matches
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The Pole has played matches on the same day at the Poland Open and the Canadian Open. She knows the struggle and difficulty of playing continuous matches without resting enough. After she won her first round at the Cincinnati Open against Danielle Collins in straight sets, the first set being a breadstick win, the second a bagel.
After winning 6-1, 6-0 in the first match, she spoke to ‘Tennis Channel,’ in which she expressed her thoughts about playing back-to-back matches at night. Swiatek said, “There?s only 1 big stadium normally for tournaments, so they have to manage the schedule. But sometimes it would be healthier to play earlier.”
"More healthy to play earlier." ☀️@iga_swiatek | #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/JrB6whvWpz
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) August 16, 2023
The Pole even stated that she is even willing to play on a smaller court if it guarantees her a normal schedule. She also mentioned an incident where a top player expressed that she was exhausted from having to play late-night matches.
WTA No. 1 truly represents all women tennis players with her statements
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Swiatek said, “I wouldn?t mind playing on Court 2 if I could just have a normal night & normal recovery after the match. 1 match like that is cool, I don?t mind? but four? Your whole sleep routine is getting ruined.”?She backed her statement with an example of her previous tournament matches.
The four-time Grand Slam champion recalled an incident where Aryna Sabalenka revealed her tiredness. The Pole and the Belarusian competed against each other in the final of the Madrid Open. Swiatek won despite playing without a day’s break. But Sabalenka lost in the first round of her next tournament, the Italian Open.
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The world’s number one also stated that she understands the business perspective. She asked the organizers to take it easy on players as the scheduling of matches is taking a toll on all the players. Swiatek will play Quinwen Zheng in her 2nd round, who halted the dream hard-court run of Venus Williams.
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