Iga Swiatek hopes to finally play at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals after missing it in the past few years due to scheduling conflicts.
Swiatek raised this issue a few years ago when she admitted that she’d talk to the WTA to see whether something could be done. The event has traditionally been played in the week after the WTA Finals, which didn’t suit Swiatek, who skipped over the event for a second year in a row in 2023.
What’s even worse is that it often happens that the events are half a world apart, making it even more complicated. Not only do the players have to rush to get there on time, but they also have to risk an injury because there is no time to rest.
None of that was appealing for Swiatek in recent years, as she chose to skip the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and focus on the WTA Finals. That earned her plenty of backlash back home, but maybe this year, it finally works out. She wants to be there, but the scheduling concerns remain.
“Well, I don’t have many thoughts because obviously this is happening in November, and still long way, you know. I hope I’m going to be able to play for the first time, because it’s been pretty annoying, you know, being kind of forced with the calendar to pass this tournament because I feel, like, you know, I have been playing these qualifying matches so I want to get the job done till the end, you know.”
Speaking at the 2024 Madrid Open, the Polish player admitted that competing in the Finals of the team competition just didn’t make sense for her, but she will try to change that this year.
“But it just didn’t make sense for previous years. It would ruin, you know, for sure the beginning of the season and scheduling. So I want to play, and then if it’s going to be possible for me to play, I’m going to start thinking about it. Sorry.”
