Iga Swiatek’s decision to skip the BJK Cup Finals does not sit well with Billie Jean King as she believes the Pole hurried into making a decision
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Billie Jean King and Iga Swiatek
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek‘s decision to skip the 2022 BJK Cup Finals has become a topic of debate in tennis circles. The Pole spoke out against the WTA’s scheduling as there is only a day’s gap between the conclusion of the 2022 WTA Finals in Texas and the commencement of the BJK Cup Finals in Glasgow.
With a big change in timezone and the tournament format, Swiatek believed that playing both events isn’t safe for the players. To avoid the risk of injuring herself and hampering her off-season, Swiatek chose to withdraw from Poland’s squad for the coveted team tournament.
Having led Poland to the finals, her absence will be massively felt. Speaking on the issue, Billie Jean King, the legendary American after whom the tournament is named, expressed her opinions on the Swiatek situation. While she showed empathy towards the Pole, she still felt the decision wasn’t entirely correct.
“I can totally understand her reasoning. I personally wouldn’t agree with it. But you know what? It’s about her. She’s the one that’s having to deal with reality now; I don’t. We’ll miss her. I would have liked her to wait a little longer (to decide about the BJK Cup Finals) because you never know how you’re going to do.
“I mean, you just don’t know. And this is where you have to figure out for yourself what’s important to you. For me, this would be a no-brainer,” said King during a video conference as per the reports of Sportstar.
Iga Swiatek off to a strong start at the 2022 WTA Finals
Entering as the top seed and the outright favorite at the 2022 WTA Finals, Swiatek made an explosive start defeating Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-3. Swiatek had a poor outing at the year-end championships last year losing the first two matches to crash out from the group stages itself.
Swiatek did manage to defeat Paula Badosa in the third match but it was a dead rubber as Swiatek was already out and Badosa was confirmed as one of the semi-finalists. This year, however, things are different as she comes with 8 titles to her name with a 64-8 record as well including two Grand Slam titles.
Following the win over Kasatkina, Swiatek will now take on Caroline Garcia. Garcia also won her first match defeating Coco Gauff in straight-sets to kickstart her campaign showing her brilliant form once again this season.
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Sarthak Shitole
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