Swiatek again slams 'intense' tennis calendar

Iga Swiatek criticized the relentless tennis calendar connected Sunday, with the erstwhile satellite No. 1 saying players should not beryllium forced to vie successful much than 20 tournaments a twelvemonth to support their rankings.

Now ranked 4th successful the world, Swiatek described being trapped successful a strategy wherever she had to take betwixt representing her state and focusing connected herself aft she skipped Poland's Billie Jean King Cup qualifier successful April.

"The scheduling is ace intense. It's excessively intense. There's nary constituent for america to play implicit 20 tournaments successful a year," Swiatek told reporters erstwhile asked astir the biggest situation to players successful presumption of intelligence health. "Sometimes we request to sacrifice playing for your state due to the fact that we request to support up with playing these WTA 500s, for example, due to the fact that we're going to get a zero successful the ranking."

Swiatek has antecedently mentioned challenges presented by the tennis calendar, citing the intelligence wellness issue earlier past year's US Open and blaming a February nonaccomplishment connected a lack of preparation.

"I deliberation these benignant of obligations and the rules astir mandatory tournaments conscionable enactment unit connected us," she said Sunday. "... I deliberation radical would inactive ticker tennis, possibly adjacent more, if we played little tournaments. The prime would beryllium better."

The agelong tennis docket was 1 of the cornerstones of the suit filed by the Professional Tennis Players' Association against the sport's governing bodies successful March aft the national described it arsenic "unsustainable."

Swiatek is the eighth effect astatine Wimbledon this year, and she faces Polina Kudermetova successful the archetypal circular Tuesday.

The clay-court specializer with 4 French Open titles fell successful the semifinals astatine Roland Garros this year, and she rapidly switched her absorption to grass, which has historically been her weakest surface.

She reached her archetypal grass-court last Saturday astatine the Bad Homburg Open, wherever she was near successful tears aft losing to apical effect Jessica Pegula, but Swiatek is blessed with her betterment connected writer arsenic she comes to grips with the faster surface.

"It's not similar a immense change. It's not similar 180 degrees change. I wouldn't accidental present abruptly everything is perfect, due to the fact that it's inactive a hard surface. It's inactive tricky," Swiatek said. "Every twelvemonth it feels similar it's a small spot easier to get utilized to the surface, and past you person much clip to conscionable make arsenic a player."

Reuters contributed to this report.