Iga Swiatek is ready to break WTA Tour rules and pull out of mandatory events, describing the current situation as “madness.” The world No. 2 reached the last 16 of the China Open when her opponent, Camila Osorio, retired following a 6-0 thrashing in the first set.
Osorio is not the first player to suffer from injury during the Asian Swing, while some players have decided against competing at all, to help recover from an intense nine months on tour already.
Both circuits have faced strong criticism because of their seasons lasting 11 months. As many as five matches at the China Open were unable to be completed on Monday as a result of players retiring.
Swiatek explained that players are at the end of their tether in terms of fitness and durability, conceding that she may be forced to pull out of mandatory events in the future to protect herself.
“People are more tired in this second part of the season,” Swiatek replied when asked about the concerning number of injuries. “Unfortunately, the Asian tour is the most challenging part because you feel the season is ending soon, but you still need to make an effort.
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“I don’t know yet how my career will be in a couple of years. Perhaps I’ll have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even if they are mandatory. The WTA has made this a madness with all these mandatory rules.
“It’s impossible to fit everything in the calendar. I don’t think any elite player can manage it. We have to be smart, not worry too much about the rules and just think about what is healthy for us. It’s tough.
“All I can do now, after deciding I will play all these mandatory tournaments, is take care of my body and recovery. I have a good team around me helping with that, I have enough experience to know what to do. There are many injuries, and that’s because the season is too long and intense.”
Big-name players such as Swiatek are obligated to play in the four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events under the association’s rules, with punishments ranging from being docked ranking points or being fined.
But Swiatek doubts that players will be able to meet the requirements without risking injury.
“I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this … It’s impossible to squeeze it in the schedule,” she added.
“We have to be smart about it, not really unfortunately care about the rules and think what’s healthy for us. It’s tough.”
Swiatek has committed to playing all mandatory events this year.
