"Worst scheduling after last Slam of the year" - Fans react as Iga Swiatek joins Elena Rybakina, Emma Navarro in withdrawing from WTA 500 Korea Open
Tennis fans recently reacted to the news of Iga Swiatek joining the likes of Elena Rybakina, defending champion Jessica Pegula, and Emma Navarro and withdrawing from the 2024 Korea Open. Swiatek's most recently competed at the US Open, where she made it to the quarterfinals before being defeated by eventual runner-up Pegula.
The WTA calendar is undeniably packed, with Swiatek having participated in 14 tournaments this season, including the Olympics. She has won titles at the Qatar Open, BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Madrid Open, Italian Open, French Open, and even secured a bronze medal at the Olympics.
Following her campaign at the recently concluded US Open, Iga Swiatek was set to compete at the 2024 Korea Open which is scheduled to take place from September 16 to September 22. However, it was recently announced that she would not be participating in the WTA 500 hard-court tournament.
Other players who have already withdrawn from the Korea Open are Jessica Pegula, who cited a rib injury, Elena Rybakina due to a back injury, and Emma Navarro due to a change in her schedule.
Tennis fans expressed disappointment upon hearing about Iga Swiatek's withdrawal from the tournament in Seoul. Many took to social media to share their opinions on the same.
One fan criticized the scheduling of a WTA 500 tournament immediately after the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, calling it "worst planning."
"Worst scheduling after the last slam of the year," a fan posted.
Another fan pointed out the toll that the demanding tour schedule takes on players and suggested that the WTA should consider a more balanced schedule for the upcoming seasons.
"Players cannot continue to play so many tours all year round. They're exhausted. Scheduling ought to be much more balanced," a fan wrote.
"Constant withdrawals really not good for Tennis and the fans .." a fan posted.
A fan stated that the top players often only have their sights set on the WTA Finals following the US Open.
"There’s nothing to look forward to (other than the WTA Finals) for the top players. The next few weeks remain the biggest weakness of the @WTA tour calendar, which needs to be addressed soon," a fan wrote.
Many fans reiterated that playing so many tournaments are exhaustive and the WTA 500 tournaments are not something the top 10 players look forward to after playing the last Grand Slam event of the year.
"These fake a** 500s are becoming more fraudulent. We really don't need all these 500s @WTA," a fan posted.
"The players are exhausted @WTA. They are humans not robots. Listen to the players," a fan wrote.
"I understand why so many withdrew with a tight schedule and olympics to that, but this is really sad 😔 ," a fan posted.
Iga Swiatek on demanding WTA schedule: "Love playing all these places but it's pretty exhausting"
![Iga Swiatek [Image Source: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/94222-17262474657918-1920.jpg?w=500)
Last month, while speaking to the press, Iga Swiatek gave her thoughts on the rigorous schedule of the WTA. She stated that players have to push themselves to their limits to play in the tournaments which takes a toll on their bodies. She expressed that the demanding schedule makes tennis less enjoyable for players.
"We shouldn't be pushing and pushing for us to play more. Obviously, it's not our decision, but for sure, I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It's not gonna end well. It's just it makes tennis less fun for us," Iga Swiatek said [via Sky Sports Tennis].
Iga Swiatek said that while she appreciates the opportunity to travel and compete around the world, the exhaustion that comes with it is too much. She added that players deserve some time to rest and recover in order to perform at their best.
"Obviously, I love playing all these places but it's pretty exhausting. We deserve to rest a little bit more," she added.
Following her withdrawal from the 2024 Korea Open, Iga Swiatek is next scheduled to compete at the 2024 China Open in Beijing which will take place from September 25 to October 6, 2024.