The president of the International Tennis Federation has responded to Iga Swiatek after the world No 1 blasted both the ITF and WTA for their “impossible” and “unsafe” schedule. The three-time Grand Slam champion pulled out of the Billie Jean King Cup because of its close proximity to the WTA Finals in the schedule, and David Haggerty has now addressed her criticisms.
Swiatek has been brutal in her assessment of the tennis schedule in recent days, first accusing the WTA and ITF of making it “impossible” for players by scheduling the WTA Finals and BJK Cup just one day apart on two different continents. She then doubled down on her comments when she officially withdrew from the former, known as the World Cup of women’s tennis, saying the tournament dates were “not safe for our health and could cause injury”.
The ITF president has now addressed the 21-year-old’s concerns and explained the choice for the dates in the calendar, with the WTA Finals ending on November 7 in Texas and the finals week of the BJK Cup beginning on November 8 in Glasgow. “The ITF is sorry that Iga Swiatek is unable to take part and recognises that the schedule for the two major year-end events presents a challenge for players competing in both events,” Haggerty told Reuters.
“We have been working with the WTA to try to coordinate suitable dates. While we were able to confirm the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow back in June, the WTA Finals venue in Fort Worth, Texas was confirmed during the US Open and restricted in terms of available dates.”
