Iga Swiatek's coach calls the WTA Finals an 'embarrassment': "I hope I will never have to fly to Cancun for tennis purposes"
Iga Swiatek's coach Tomasz Wiktorowski hopes he will never have to visit Cancun for tennis purposes again after the 2023 WTA Finals controversy. The year-ending tournament in Mexico faced numerous player complaints, especial about the disastrous court conditions and the lack of practice facilities.
At the WTA Finals, second seed Iga Swiatek progressed into the semifinals after straight-set wins over Marketa Vondrousova, reigning US Open winner Coco Gauff and sixth seed Ons Jabeur in the group stage. There, she ousted top seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 to reach the summit clash. In the final, the Pole reclaimed her World No. 1 ranking after a convincing 6-1, 6-0 win over Jessica Pegula to clinch the year-end championships.
In a recent interview with Polish publication Rzeczpospolita, Iga Swiatek's coach Tomasz Wiktorowski called the WTA an "embarrassment" for their shortcomings in decision-making and planning at the Finals in Cancun. He said:
"In terms of tourism, I see great potential of this place. And maybe one day I will go to Mexico to learn more about the history of this civilization. However, I hope that I will never have to fly there again for business and tennis purposes. It was an embarrassment in terms of the decision-making process and organization of the tournament."
In light of the WTA allegedly being on the brink of bankruptcy, the World No. 1's coach expressed his disappointment with the organisation's recent operations and has asked the players to band together to voice important issues.
"I am very disappointed with the way the WTA has been functioning recently and I am starting to believe that tennis players should unite to speak about the most important issues to them with one voice," Wiktorowski said.
Iga Swiatek's coach hailed the WTA for their work from a decade ago, but maintained that now the organisation's objectives are not aligned with the players' best interests.
"10 years ago, I trusted the WTA and was impressed by how it creates conditions for tennis players to develop, work and even function after the end of their careers. At the moment, it looks like the WTA is an organization struggling to survive and managed in a way that is not entirely favorable to the players," Wiktorowski said.
Iga Swiatek expressed her diasspointment on the WTA over empty stands in Cancun Finals
Iga Swiatek had an incredible 2023 campaign, as she registered a 68-11 win-loss record and clinched six titles, including the French Open and the WTA Finals. The Pole ended the year atop the WTA rankings for the second consecutive year, becoming the sixth youngest player to achieve the feat.
During a press conference at the year-end championships in Cancun, Iga Swiatek expressed her disappointment over the small number of spectators that were in attendance at the tournament. She also stated that on several occassions the players have suggested corrective measures to the WTA with the target to augment crowd engagement.
"Honestly, I think there’s plenty they can do. It’s a pretty weird situation where we have meetings with the WTA and we kind of explain to them what should be done sometimes," Swiatek said.
The WTA selected Cancun as the destination for the Finals just two months prior to the tournament. The four-time Grand Slam champion maintained that this delayed decision led to the poor standards at the year-end championships.
"For sure, there’s potential to work on that. Obviously, they decided late that we’re going to play here. For sure, you know the marketing should be better. It’s a shame that we don’t have a full stadium like we can’t really feel like we’re on a tennis celebration for the whole week," Iga Swiatek stated.