ITF President "sorry that Iga Swiatek is unable to take part" as he commits to improve scheduling
WTA
Iga Swiatek withdrew from the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals and criticized the ITF, and now she received a response.
The Polish player announced her withdrawal from the team competition. She blamed the closeness of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals to the WTA Finals for her inability to compete.
Swiatek was disappointed to announce her withdrawal, as she wanted to represent Poland. That's also one of the reasons why she said that she would speak with the governing bodies to find a solution.
The ITF heard her complaints, as the federation's president, David Haggerty, spoke about Swaitek's withdrawal, as per Reuters.
Naturally, Haggerty was disappointed that the WTA World No. 1 player wouldn't be able to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. He also immediately recognized the scheduling issue.
"The ITF is sorry that Iga Swiatek is unable to take part and recognizes that the schedule for the two major year-end events presents a challenge for players competing in both events."
Haggerty also confirmed that the ITF was working together with the WTA to solve this issue and prepare a better schedule for players in the future.
Of course, this is in the ITF's interest, as not having the best players in the world at their event certainly hurts the ticket sales and the overall prestige of the competition as well.
"We have been working with the WTA to try to coordinate suitable dates. While we were able to confirm the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow back in June, the WTA Finals venue in Fort Worth, Texas, was confirmed during the US Open and restricted in terms of available dates."
"We are committed to working with the WTA on the 2023 schedule so that we have a better transition between the two competitions."
