Iga Swiatek rips into WTA for 'crazy' rules about mandatory events

Tuesday, 30 September 2025 at 18:58

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byErik Virostko

Iga Swiatek is one of the loudest critics of the current rules set out by the WTA, and she isn't afraid to use every chance she has to voice her opinion about the current schedule.

Tennis players have been calling for a shorter season for years now. Yet, there are no changes coming from the ATP or the WTA. In fairness, the WTA and ITF worked together this year to schedule the Billie Jean King Cup Finals earlier, effectively shortening the season, but that still appears to be only a drop in the ocean.

During the ongoing Asian swing, there seems to be an unprecedented amount of injury struggles. On the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz has been struggling with an injury, and Jannik Sinner is not at 100% either. Those are two of the brightest stars on the ATP Tour.

When it comes to women, the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, is not playing at the 2025 China Open in Beijing, and many other players have struggled with injuries. In fact, on the day when Swiatek played her third-round match, three out of eight matches ended in a retirement.

Qinwen Zheng retired from her match against Linda Noskova, Lois Boisson retired against Emma Navarro, and Swiatek's opponent, Camila Osorio, also retired from their match. That was one of the reasons why Swiatek was asked about the current schedule after her match, and she explained why the Asian swing is so challenging for the players.

"I think it's a smart question 'cause obviously the season is long. The second part of it, I think, people are more fatigued. For sure, unfortunately, I think the Asian Swing is the hardest part because you feel like the season is going to finish soon, but you still need to push."

Iga Swiatek hints at skipping mandatory events in the future

The fact that an event is mandatory doesn't mean that a player must participate in it, even if they are physically unable to do so. However, if they skip it, they will face consequences, which can include lost points or bonuses.

Swiatek, as one of the best tennis players of this generation, is in a privileged position, which allows her to face these consequences without being too bothered by them. That's why she admitted she might skip mandatory events in the future, as she thinks the current schedule is crazy.

"For me, like, I don't know yet how my career is going to look in a couple of years. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory. Yeah, like WTA with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us. I don't think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, for example, playing the six 500 tournaments. It's just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule."

"But yeah, I think we have to be smart about it, not really, unfortunately care about the rules, and just think what's healthy for us. Yeah, it's tough. The only thing I can do now, when I decided I'm going to play all these mandatory tournaments, is to just take care of my body, take care of the recovery."

"I have a good team around me, also, that is helping me with that. I'm experienced enough to know kind of what to do. So, physically, I am good. But yeah, there are a lot of injuries. I think it is because the season is too long and too intense."