Iga Swiatek takes a sly dig at WTA’s scheduling claiming rising injuries in Cincinnati ‘not a coincidence’

Iga Swiatek on large amount of retirements at Cincinnati Open.

Iga Swiatek takes a sly dig at WTA’s scheduling claiming rising injuries in Cincinnati ‘not a coincidence’

Iga Swiatek (Credits: EuroSport)

Iga Swiatek talked about the surprisingly large number of players who retired due to injury or fatigue during the Cincinnati Open. As per the professional tennis player, such large numbers are not mere coincidences and are a result of erratic scheduling. Furthermore, World No. 1 believes that the WTA and the ATP should take better care of their players.

For the uninitiated, as the tournament has progressed so far, Holger Rune, Elena Rybakina, Alejandro Davidovic Fokina, Donna Vekic, Mackenzie McDonald, Dusan Lajovic, and Marie Bouzkova have had to yield mid-match due to injuries. This could be the result of overworking their bodies at the recent 1000-meter event, the Canadian Open. 

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The WTA and ATP had come under fire for their unstable timing at the Canadian Open. For instance, Rybakina’s match against Liudmilla Samsonova went on until 3 AM. Such unpredictable timing has been shown to be detrimental to the player’s well-being.

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With that being said, Swiatek has been very vocal in calling out the organizers for their misgivings and supporting her fellow players. She echoed a similar sentiment in a post-match press conference at the Cincinnati Open. The Pole voiced that it will only become harder from here. She stated that if the 1000-event tournaments are extended to two weeks instead of one, the players will have even less time to rest and recuperate.

The four-time Grand Slam winner said, “I think it’s going to be pretty extreme next year if all the 1000 tournaments are going to be like almost two weeks. So I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I think it’s a sign for the WTA and ATP to kind of take it easy on us.”

The top-seeded star also remarked that players themselves should draw boundaries and be responsible for their well-being. Continuing her train of thought, she further added “I guess we are the ones that should be kind of responsible and know when to take a break and not really push because it’s a race, and it’s a pretty long one.”

Also Read: Iga Swiatek’s “Break Point’ video explaining how her psychologist Daria Abramowicz was subjected to online abuse for recommending new haircut goes viral

Iga Swietak addresses trolls and hate comments.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Credits: Eurosport)

The 22-year-old rallied against online hate and trolling after she received criticism for her victory over China’s Zheng Quinwen at the Cincinnati Open in the third round. She won with a spectacular score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; however, that wasn’t enough for the netizens, who blasted her for losing a set.

She remarked that it was ridiculous of people to always expect her to play a perfect match. Swiatek opened up about how she has sacrificed a lot in order to achieve what she has and has always given her 100 percent.

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