Iga Swiatek: "I would not mind playing on Court No. 2 if I could just have a normal night and normal recovery after the match"
Iga Swiatek has voiced her opinion on late-night matches, saying that she wouldn't mind playing on smaller courts to prioritize her recovery.
The World No. 1 has made a solid start to her hardcourt season, chalking up nine wins out of 10 matches, including a title-winning run at the Poland Open. She is currently competing at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
In an interview with Tennis Channel after her win over Danielle Collins in the second round, Swiatek spoke about avoiding late-night matches. She said she did not mind playing early on court No. 2 as it would help her to recover well.
“Sometimes it is healthy to play earlier. I wouldn't mind playing on Court Number two if I could just have a regular night and normal recovery after the match, because one match like that is fine, and I don't mind it. But four matches? Your entire sleep routine is getting disrupted a little bit, and it's difficult to return to a normal sleep schedule. It's not easy. I wish it could be,” Iga Swiatek said.
Numerous players on the tennis circuit have expressed their frustrations with this year's scheduling challenges. World No. 4 Elena Rybakina joined the chorus of voices by openly criticizing the WTA. She shared her experience of feeling physically drained during the Canadian Open, where one of her matches finished at 3 am.
Similarly, Swiatek shed light on the shared struggles she and World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka encountered during the clay court season. Sabalenka's early exit at the Italian Open, following her victorious streak in Madrid, exemplified the toll irregular scheduling can take on players' performances and well-being.
"Again, after Madrid, when I played the final against Aryna and we both played Rome, she played on the first day because I requested the second. She lost in the first round. She honestly said she was exhausted and was not able to play. I played the next day, and as you could see throughout the tournament, it was not a great choice either because all of my matches were scheduled second, you know, night session," Iga Swiatek said.
Iga Swiatek to square off against Qinwen Zheng in R3 of Western and Southern Open
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will take on World No. 24 Qinwen Zheng in the third round of the 2023 Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
The Pole leads the head-to-head against Zheng 3-0 and defeated her most recently at the 2023 Stuttgart Open in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. She will be looking to continue her winning streak against the Chinese tennis player.
Zheng, on the other hand, secured her place in the third round with a brilliant comeback win over Venus Williams. She defeated the American veteran in one hour and 56 minutes, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1. The 20-year-old has made the last 16 in Cincinnati for the first time in her career.
It'll be interesting to see if Zheng can cope up with Swiatek's aggressive gameplay and have a say in this match-up. The winner of this tie will take on either Marketa Vondrousova or Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals.