Iga Swiatek Takes Bold Decision for Which WTA Could Fine Her in 2026

Iga Swiatek has made it clear that to deal with the 11-month calendar- about which she has time and again complained- she will be skipping mandatory tournaments. The Pole is in Riyadh for the WTA Finals and has breezed past reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys in her first round robin match.

At the press conference later, the six-time Grand Slam champion revealed her plans to handle the demanding schedule. At present, the WTA players have to sign up for four Grand Slam events and 10 mandatory WTA 1000s.

I won’t be looking next year at which tournaments are mandatory and which ones I could get fined for.

Iga Swiatek said

Swiatek featured in three WTA 500 events in Stuttgart, Bad Homburg, and Seoul. She was fined for missing three more such events, given that it’s mandatory for the WTA players to participate in at least six events at this level.

I’ll arrange my schedule the way I think it should be. We’ll see if I’ll be mentally okay with skipping tournaments while the other girls are playing.

Iga Swiatek added

The WTA 500 events that she skipped this year were: the Brisbane International, Adelaide International, Linz Open, Abu Dhabi Open, Merida Open, Charleston Open, Strasbourg Open, Berlin Open, Citi Open, Monterrey Open, and Guadalajara Open. She did not skip a single WTA 1000 event. She won the Cincinnati Open and made it into three semifinals.

Last year, because she was forced to skip two mandatory events (China Open and Wuhan Open) due to her doping case, ranking points were deducted, and she eventually dropped to No.2 in the rankings, while Aryna Sabalenka, who was also winning a lot at that time, reclaimed her top spot.

Iga Swiatek on the improvements in her game while working with Wim Fissette

Last year, toward the end of October, just before the year-end championships, Iga Swiatek announced that she had hired Belgian coach Wim Fissette after parting ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski. During her interview with Sky Sports following her win over Madison Keys in Riyadh, the 24-year-old was asked about the improvements she has made under Fissette’s tutelage.

Yeah, I think this [increase in intensity when she plays big hitters] and also my first serve because there are more matches where I’m able to get many free points just by my serve, so this is something that kind of never happened before, I had to grind for like every point… I really appreciate that, so yeah, it’s great and hopefully it will continue.

Swiatek has so far won three titles this season. After trophyless runs earlier this season, she ended Wimbledon in her favor and later took home the Cincinnati Open and the Korea Open. She also played the final of the Bad Homburg Open.

Swiatek is chasing her second WTA Finals title, with her first coming in 2023 against Jessica Pegula in the final. The World No.2, who now holds a 6-2 head-to-head record over Madison Keys, will next be locking horns with Elena Rybakina.

Before this season, Swiatek was trailing in the head-to-head matchups versus the Kazakh ace. She has registered four consecutive wins over the 2022 Wimbledon champion this year and now holds a 6-4 head-to-head lead.

Rybakina found herself in a tricky position for the WTA Finals qualification. She and Mirra Andreeva were in the race, and the former’s Ningbo Open win, plus two match wins at the Pan Pacific Open, helped her book the ticket for Riyadh.

Before scheduling the match against Swiatek, Rybakina defeated Amanda Anisimova. After her match against Rybakina, Swiatek will lock horns with Anisimova, while Rybakina will meet Madison Keys.

Also read: Iga Swiatek Admits She Randomly Watches Rafael Nadal’s Videos for Seeking Inspiration

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