The WTA has been under fire from multiple players in recent years for what they perceive as a lackluster job leading the Tour forward.
The WTA is supposed to be the leading body that will protect and uplift the players working in their best interest. That’s an idealistic view, but it should be a realistic expectation players have of the organization.
It hasn’t always delivered that, with several issues raised. Things boiled over at the WTA Finals this year, which were an absolute logistical failure. The previous edition wasn’t a logistical fail, but it didn’t go any better with a very strange hosting site selection, which saw very few fans actually attend the matches.
The back and forth between players and the organization can be quite uncomfortable at times because there is clearly a gap between how the players would like things to be and how the organization does things.
Swiatek, as the world number one, criticized the organization as well after being able to observe it from up close.
In fact, when I became number one, I could see how top players were treated differently. And the players who are just rising. I would say that on the court itself, it obviously doesn’t matter where he comes from or what his history is, because how he plays and what he achieves will depend on what he shows on the court. And off the court? Well, you can actually feel the difference.
She’s not been the only one who criticized the organization, of course, as many did, but she feels a certain responsibility as world number one to speak up for all the players.
As she noted in the interview posted on X by PZU Grupa, there is a difference in treatment, so her voice matters more.
I just did it a few times. I have raised some things in the media and criticized the WTA at times, so I realize this may be uncomfortable for them. But I also just try to be a leader who stands behind the players. The main priority is for the players to be well, because without us, it wouldn’t exist and sometimes I would just be in the world of business and money.
I think it’s easy for corporations like this to forget that we should be the backbone of it all. And I try to remind myself of this, which sometimes may not be convenient when we are discussing some issues and I have different opinions than these.
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