"Unfair; The sport should do better for the players and the events" - Pam Shriver sides with Iga Swiatek and blames WTA for scheduling issues
Former American tennis player Pam Shriver recently sided with Iga Swiatek and took to Twitter to express her opinion on the unfair scheduling of the Billie Jean King cup and the WTA Finals.
Earlier this week, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek stated she would be unable to represent Poland at the Billie Jean Cup as there is only a day's gap between the ITF event and the WTA Finals. The WTA Finals are scheduled for October 31 - November 7 whereas, the Billie Jean King cup will be held from November 8 to 13.
Swiatek took to social media to announce her withdrawal from the Billie Jean King Cup, citing health safety concerns and prevention of a possible injury. She further emphasized how disappointed she is as she enjoys representing her country. She added that she would discuss the matter further with the WTA and ITF officials for possible rescheduling.
World number one Iga Swiatek will miss the 2022 BJK Cup Finals and has things to say about the scheduling, with the event being held again very close to the WTA Finals in a different part of the world. https://t.co/JeY9q7jDB2
Pam Shriver reacted to Swiatek's plea to the governing body, agreeing with her, and hailing the Polish superstar for using her platform to bring to light an important issue on the tour.
"Really unfortunate schedule again for these two important events. The sport should do better for the players and the events," Pam Shriver tweeted.
After her announcement, Iga Swiatek's cynics took no time to pounce on the controversy, suggesting the Polish chose to play for money instead for her country.
Pam Shriver was quick to point out how this was an unfair opinion as the dates of these two events should not have taken place in such close proximity and that the distance between the two tournaments also does not do justice to players traveling from one corner of the globe to another.
"Unfair take, these two important events should NOT be back to back on opposite sides of the planet. This is tennis establishments fault!," Pam Shriver tweeted.
"I will definitely take steps to let them know about my dissatisfaction" - Iga Swiatek on the unfair scheduling of tournaments
Iga Swiatek expressed her angst against the WTA and ITF and has refused to confirm her availability to represent Poland at the Billie Jean Cup as there is only a day's gap between that event and the WTA Finals.
In an interview with the Polish media house Gazeta, she shared her disappointment stating how the WTA and ITF did not cooperate or facilitate her to play in both the tournaments. She conveyed her intention to reach out to the association to express her dissatisfaction.
"I am dissatisfied, although I know that arranging everything is complicated. Certainly the fact that the WTA and ITF federations in a sense did not cooperate to facilitate our task is irritating to me. I will definitely take steps to let them know about my dissatisfaction," Iga Swiatek said.