Iga Swiatek reportedly won't feature in Poland's team at this year's Billie Jean King Cup Finals (BJKC) due to scheduling concerns while underlining her health is a top priority.
Polish journalist Dominik Senkowski shared a statement from Iga Swiatek's camp in which the four-time Grand Slam champion is 'resigned' from participating at the Finals, which will commence on November 7th where Poland have been drawn in a tough group against hosts Spain and Canada.
The Poles lost in April's qualifying tie against Kazakhstan in Astana where Swiatek was absent due to a rib injury. But they were granted the only wild card to play at the Finals in Seville. It will be the second time that Swiatek has missed the BJKC Finals, following on from last year, when her decision sparked mixed reactions.
Swiatek states that she 'can't imagine' playing back-to-back tournaments given the short window of time between the end of the WTA Finals and the start of the BJKC Finals. In addition, she will also need to battle the ill effects of jet lag on her flight from Mexico to Spain.
The WTA Finals commences on October 29th and will run till November 5th, leaving her with just a day of recuperation and travel time to join the Polish entourage in Seville. Swiatek reiterates that she has 'no control' over the calendar and it is up to the governing bodies to make sound scheduling decisions.
Recently, the 22-year-old revealed her plans for the upcoming season which would involve an earlier start to her preseason preparations given the short timeframe that tennis players have before they embark on a new season. And Swiatek appears to have taken that into account in withdrawing from the BJKC again.
"Unfortunately, this situation has happened before... Once again I have to do it resign from participation in BJKC due to calendar planning by the WTA and ITF. I'm already feeling the hardships of this season and I can't imagine playing in two tournaments just 2 days apart and at the same time having to deal with the consequences of a 6-hour jet lag and another long trip after playing almost 70 matches this season."
"I am sorry that Polish fans and others are harmed in this situation, as are the team and the national team. However, I have no control over this, and my health must be my priority if I want to play for years to come."
"The fact that I can now play in good health for a longer period of time shows that, despite logistical difficulties and an intense calendar, the team and I are making the right decisions. It's a marathon, not a sprint."
"I don't know if my decision will motivate the federation to make changes and will enable me to play for the national team in the future without exposing my health to the risk of injury or sabotaging the subsequent preparation period for the next season. But I hope that eventually, something will change because I'm really counting on this performance."
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