Iga Swiatek will not play for Poland in next month¡¯s Billie Jean King Cup finals in Glasgow, the world No. 1 said on Monday, as she took issue with the sport¡¯s governing bodies and their handling of the tournament calendar.
Swiatek helped Poland progress to the finals in April, but the tournament will be held from Nov. 8-13, just one day after the season-ending WTA Finals which will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, this year.
¡°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. And it makes me sad,¡± Swiatek said on Instagram. ¡°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 honor 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.¡±
While the WTA Finals are organized by the women¡¯s tennis body, the Billie Jean King Cup ¡ª previously known as the Federation Cup ¡ª is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).
¡°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,¡± Swiatek added.
¡°This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our sport.¡±
The Billie Jean King Cup will have 12 teams competing in four round-robin groups of three teams each, with the group winners moving to the semifinals. Poland are in Group D with the Czech Republic and the United States.
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