"It's pretty unfortunate we don't have any decision yet" - Iga Swiatek on prospect of WTA Finals being held in Saudi Arabia
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek recently commented on the possibility of the WTA Finals being held in Saudi Arabia in the future, after the organization stated that it had not ruled out the prospect.
WTA president Steve Simon previously stated that the country presented 'big issues' as a host for women's tour events, citing Saudi Arabia's record on women's and LGBTQ rights as grounds for 'sports-washing'.
However, the tour declined to confirm or deny recent rumors that the WTA Finals could be held in Saudi Arabia in the future, stating that no decision had been made.
Iga Swiatek was asked to comment on the situation at a press conference before the start of her campaign at the 2023 US Open. The Pole replied that it is 'unfortunate and annoying' that the final decision has not yet been made and she would say more when it is.
"I don't have a lot of thoughts because we hear many stuff on tour. I'm still waiting for, like, the final decision. We as players, we are not involved in all the discussions. I'm kind of waiting on what WTA will tell us," Iga Swiatek said.
"For sure, it's pretty unfortunate and annoying we don't have any decision yet. But I'll see. I'll probably have more to say when the decision is going to be out," she added.
"Obviously we want to know because it's hard to plan also what's going to happen after" - Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek then stated that the players would like to know the decision as soon as possible so that they can adjust their schedules accordingly, expressing her desire to participate in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
"Well, obviously we want to know because it's hard to plan also what's going to happen after," she said. "I would love to play Billie Jean King Cup Finals, especially when we got a wild card. I don't know where the Finals are going to be, how it's going to look with the traveling and everything."
The Pole added that it would be ideal if the decisions were made sooner, as the WTA had assured them that everything would be finalized at the start of the year, but this did not appear to be the case.
"It would be great, yeah, if the decision were made earlier," Swiatek said. "Especially when we were in Fort Worth, they kind of assured us the decision is going to be made at the beginning of the year. It is a little bit annoying, but as players, there's nothing we can do, because it's all about business and negotiations that WTA has, so we kind of have to wait."
Iga Swiatek is the favorite to defend her title at Flushing Meadows this year, starting her campaign against Sweden's Rebecca Peterson on Monday. However, she has suffered two defeats this summer, losing to Jessica Pegula in Montreal and Coco Gauff in Cincinnati, both in the semifinals.