Iga Swiatek’s Frustration Sincerely Heard by Ex-Pro As He Dishes Out Practical Solution for Top WTA Players

Imagine getting to do the one thing you ever wanted to. But then the system fails you, your peers turn against you, and even the crowd has only words of criticism to offer. That’s what happened with Iga Swiatek, who recently touched base on the controversial topic she’s gained attention for – WTA’s grueling schedule. Amid the controversy, a former pro has come forward to offer a possible solution.

Swiatek has maintained the world No. 1 ranking for an impressive 117 weeks and currently boasts a substantial lead of over 2500 points over No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka. But Swiatek has maintained this upward trajectory by playing an overflowing calendar full of tennis all across the world. When Swiatek told Sky Sports in Cincinnati, “I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well. It makes tennis less fun for us,” the tennis community had extreme reactions. From support to call outs, the diverse response drew ex-tennis pro Dawid Celt to join the discourse.

While he agrees the Tour is not kind to athletes, he tells Onet how the authorities might deal with it practically, “I would give the players more freedom. But to manage their health more. I wouldn’t force them to do it. […] The best ones, because we’re mainly talking about them, I would give them more freedom.” While Iga Swiatek only maintained that it was hard for athletes to rest with the constant travel and playing tennis at a high level, Celt points out another issue.