Świątek: Back-to-Back Tennis Tournaments Don’t Help Top-Ranked Players
Iga Świątek has stated that top-ranked players struggle to perform well in the Middle Eastern tennis tournaments due to the packed schedule and frequent travel for back-to-back WTA 1000 events right after a Grand Slam. Her comments came after she was eliminated in the Dubai quarterfinals on Thursday.
Seventeen-year-old Russian Mira Andreeva defeated Świątek in straight sets, preventing the world No. 2 from winning a title in the Middle East for the first time in four years.
Świątek won the Qatar Open from 2022 to 2024 but was eliminated in the semifinals last week. The Polish player also reached the Australian Open semifinals last month but has yet to claim a title this year.
When asked by reporters whether consecutive WTA 1000 tournaments pose a significant challenge, Świątek replied: “It’s definitely about the schedule. We won’t be able to maintain top performance week after week for years.”
She added: “It’s no longer like it was in the past when top-20 players could easily dominate. Now, anyone can win these tournaments. That’s how it has been for a few years now.”
“But I feel like the schedule doesn’t help. Once again, we have to travel across continents, adjust to different court surfaces, and adapt to different balls. It’s not easy, but I’m not surprised,” she said.
Aryna Sabalenka also had a disappointing Middle Eastern campaign, exiting early from both the Qatar and Dubai tournaments. The world No. 1, who was the Australian Open runner-up, admitted that she and her team need to rethink their preparations for these events.
