Tennis icon Billie Jean King has responded to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek's decision to skip the prestigious Billie Jean King Cup (formerly Fed Cup) because of scheduling issues.
The 12-time Grand Slam champion was disappointed that the dominant player in women's tennis this year will not be competing at her eponymous year-ending tournament.
The current World No. 1 announced she would not be attending the Billie Jean King Cup finals because of the short turnaround between that and the end of the WTA Finals, which are currently underway in Forth Worth, Texas. Swiatek cited the jetlag, travel distance and recovery time as the combined reason not to travel to Glasgow.
"I'm disappointed that [the] tennis governing bodies didn't come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone," Swiatek wrote on social media at the time. "This situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury."
But the American great was left puzzled by Swiatek's approach, as turnaround time would be dependent on how far she goes in the WTA Finals. “I would have liked her to wait a little longer, because you never know how you’re going to do. I mean, you just don’t know. And this is where you have to figure out for yourself what’s important to you. For me, this would be a no-brainer."
Billie added that she could empathise with where the three-time Grand Slam champion was coming from, but that she would have taken a different view.
"I can totally understand her reasoning. I personally wouldn’t agree with it. But you know what? It’s about her. She’s the one that’s having to deal with reality now; I don’t. We’ll miss her."
The Billie Jean King Cup finals are due to get underway in Glasgow from 8th - 13th November.
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