The world number one has announced that she will not compete at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November after criticising tennis’ governing bodies for not looking after player welfare.
The event is set to take place the week after the WTA Finals in Glasgow which causes a huge problem and obstacle for many players.
This is definitely the case for Swiatek who has qualified for the WTA Finals which takes place in Texas on the 31st of October.
A huge dilemma which now means Swiatek will not compete for her country at the Billie Jean King Cup.
Speaking on Instagram the Pole criticised the decision from the ITF and WTA and wants to speak to them about player welfare to prevent future decisions from happening, “I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow,” Swiatek said in her Instagram story.
“And it makes me sad. I’m very sorry because I play for Poland whenever it’s possible and I always give it my best. Playing in Poland this year was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.
“I’m disappointed that tennis governing bodies didn’t come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone. This situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury.
“I’m going to talk to the WTA and ITF in order to change something. This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our fans.”
It’s clear Swiatek wants change in terms of player welfare and communication between governing bodies on how to facilitate the schedule.
However Swiatek now turns her attention to preparing for the WTA Finals and first up for the Pole is Ostrava this week.
In her opening match Swiatek will face either Ajla Tomljanovic or Shuai Zhang.
