Iga Swiatek has had issues with the tennis calendar in the past, and she raised the question once more ahead of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
Most young players aren't fans of the very long tennis calendar and have spoken out against it being too long and demanding. In recent years, there has been an added emphasis on players paying close attention to how many events they play.
It wasn't something that was discussed so often in the past, as some of the best players played a lot of tennis. These days, players tend to be quite selective with the tournaments they play.
This is primarily due to advances in sports medicine and science because we now know the precise effects on the body. Managing a player's schedule diligently is why some players like Novak Djokovic can still be at the top of their game at an age where most tennis players of the past would struggle to even last a match.
He started to manage his schedule very early, and his example is followed by many today. Swiatek has always been deliberate in organizing her calendar. She's also been on record voicing her displeasure with its length and structure.
She caught a lot of heat back home in Poland for skipping over the Billie Jean King Cup Finals a couple of times, but as the event always started a day after the conclusion of the WTA Finals, the Polish player simply wasn't interested in pushing her body that much.
There are a lot of things she doesn't like about the calendar, and she's hardly the only one. Carlos Alcaraz has also been vocal about the length of the calendar on the men's side, so there seems to be momentum building for possibly some changes.
Swiatek did her part by raising the issue ahead of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, calling the current issue 'scary'.
"Our calendar is crazy, probably the toughest one in sports. There are sports that are really tough because, physically, you might get beat up. But most sports have four months off, sometimes even six."
"Our schedule is crazy, and it’s getting more crazy every year, which is scary. You just have to train wisely."
Players must be careful because they can sometimes push themselves too hard, and with the calendar packed, they will miss many significant events if they get injured.
Swiatek has been fortunate in that regard so far, but it's also due to how she's approaching it. She's very professional in how she does it, and so far, it's done wonders for her career. This year was even worse with the Olympics, but that's not likely to change anytime soon.
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