Iga Swiatek Blasts Tennis Authorities for Crazy Tennis Schedule at the Australian Open
Iga Swiatek is seeking a career grand slam at the Australian Open.
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Iga Swiatek (Image via X/United Cup)
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Iga Swiatek has been the dominant force in women’s tennis for a while now, but heavy lies the crown. The Polish superstar has been incredibly vocal about the current calendar being just too much. Her main gripe isn’t just the physical exertion; it’s the mental load.
Swiatek admitted that the schedule makes it “impossible to switch off.” When a player is constantly chasing points, defending titles, and fulfilling mandatory media obligations, there is no mental downtime. They finish a tournament in Seoul, hop on a plane, and immediately have to prep for Beijing. There is no reset button. Swiatek said in her Australian Open press conference:
Physically I feel fine, but not because it’s the beginning of the season. From my point of view, there’s no beginning or end to a tennis season. When you compete for 11 months, being away from your racket for 10 days isn’t enough time to recover physically or mentally. The first few days of vacation you’re still thinking about everything you’ve done that season, and by the last few you’re already thinking about the new season. There’s no time for anything.
Imagine working a high-pressure job that requires you to perform at your absolute physical peak, but the office moves to a different continent every week, and they only get about 3 weeks of vacation a year. Oh, and if they take a sick day or skip a meeting, their global ranking drops, and they lose money. That is the reality of professional tennis right now, and frankly, the players are reaching their breaking point.
Alongside Swiatek, top American star Taylor Fritz has also stopped being polite about the situation. They are openly criticizing the relentless grind of the tour, sparking a massive debate about whether the sport is actually trying to break its biggest stars.
Taylor Fritz agrees that the schedule is hectic
It’s not just the WTA side feeling the heat. Taylor Fritz, currently the top dog in American men’s tennis, echoed Swiatek’s sentiments with blunt honesty. He labeled the ATP calendar “crazy,” insisting that “we play too much.”
If you look at the circuit, it’s not just me; there are many people starting the year with injuries. Maybe the season is too long, I don’t know. Maybe four weeks are not enough to fully recover. That’s how it is. I laid many foundations during the preseason to recover, but at the same time, the preseason is so short that you need to train hard, or else you start the year feeling like you haven’t played enough matches or haven’t had enough time on the court, which is very similar to how I feel.
Fritz’s perspective is crucial here because it shows a unified front. Often, the men’s and women’s tours operate in silos, but on this issue, the suffering is universal. Fritz noted that playing over 70 matches a season—spread across Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East—is physically unsustainable.
When top-tier athletes like Fritz and Swiatek are saying the same thing, the governing bodies need to listen. These aren’t players looking for an excuse for losing; these are the winners who are winning despite a system that seems designed to wear them down.
Why the calendar exploded
So, how did the tour get here? Why are players grinding harder in 2026 than they were 20 years ago? The answer, as it usually is, is money and expansion.
The ATP and WTA have aggressively expanded their global footprints. Fans have seen a surge of tournaments in Asia, the Middle East, and South America. While this is great for growing the game’s popularity and revenue, the human cost is borne by players.
The “off-season” in tennis is a myth. By the time the ATP/WTA Finals wrap up in November, players have maybe a few weeks before they need to be in Australia for the start of the next season in January. Compared to the NBA, NFL, or European soccer leagues, tennis players have virtually no time to heal injuries or just live a normal life.
The fans have seen this movie before. They watched Ashleigh Barty retire while she was on top of the world because she had nothing left to give. Secondly, they watched Naomi Osaka step away to protect her peace.
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