Iga Swiatek at 2022 WTA Finals: For the first time in tournament history, only one Grand Slam champion set to compete
Iga Swiatek is the only Grand Slam champion this year who will compete in the WTA Finals, making it the first time in the season-ending tournament's history that only one Major singles champion will compete.
The World No. 1 won the French Open and the US Open this season. Australian Open champion Ashleigh Barty retired in March while Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina did not qualify for the WTA Finals as she was 21st in the race rankings. The Kazakh might've had a better chance of qualifying if ranking points were awarded at the grasscourt Major.
Among the other players who qualified for the WTA Finals, Ons Jabeur reached two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Third seed Jessica Pegula reached two Grand Slam finals and won the Guadalajara Open. She also reached the final of the Madrid Open and the semifinals of the Miami Open and Canadian Open.
Coco Gauff reached her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open while Maria Sakkari reached two WTA 1000 finals. Caroline Garcia won the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and also reached the semifinals of the US Open.
Seventh seed Daria Kasatkina reached the semifinals of the French Open and the Italian Open, while Aryna Sabalenka reached the last four of the Italian Open and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.
Iga Swiatek skips Billie Jean King Cup due to scheduling clash with WTA Finals
Iga Swiatek will miss the Billie Jean King Cup this year due to the tournament taking place right after the WTA Finals. There is only one day's break scheduled between the two events.
"I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King in Glasgow. And it makes me sad. I'm very sorry because I play for Poland whenever it's possible and I always give it my best. Playing in Poland this year was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season," Iga Swiatek wrote on her Instagram story.
"I'm disappointed that 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. The situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury.I'm going to talk to the WTA and ITF in ordorder to change something. This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our sport," she added.