So Sad: Iga Swiatek faces new health issues

It’s nothing new for tennis players to worry aloud about their sport’s overcrowded calendar, too-tough season and too-short offseason.

No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek added an additional complaint this week at the U.S. Open: Athletes are not being heard when they express concerns about potential harm to mental and physical health caused by having more tournaments that run longer and new rules that require participation in more events — and, she added, those athletes are not being consulted enough by the professional tours.

“We want to at least be in the loop,” said Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion who plays her second-round match at Flushing Meadows on Thursday. “It would be nice for us to have some impact, because I don’t think our sport is going in the right direction.”

She’s hardly alone in harboring those doubts.

“The tours are not united enough to collaborate without egos and money getting involved. The players are absolutely getting crushed in so many ways — physically, mentally, financially,” said Mackie McDonald, a Californian who beat Rafael Nadal at the 2023 Australian Open and lost to No. 1 Jannik Sinner at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. “Having a normal life? We’re far from it. And then actually getting what we deserve, especially at the Slams? It’s sad. I’ll put it that way.”

Swiatek raised questions about the schedule in a TV interview during the Cincinnati Open tuneup event earlier this month — and drew online criticism from former player Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who wrote on social media: “is someone pushing you to play ???

That ignored Swiatek’s basic point, but it also ignored this: Yes, she and female players do need to enter more tourneys this season under new WTA Tour rules. There’s also the understanding that the only way to get more rankings points is to play — and, of course, win — with frequency.

The conflict, as explained by three-time major semifinalist Elina Svitolina, is this: “You want to play more, because you want to be high in the rankings and you want to win tournaments, but also you need to take care of your mental health and your physical (condition).”

In 2024, aside from the four Grand Slam tournaments, women must participate in 16 WTA events, up from 10 in 2023. The tour said players have been averaging about 20 tournaments each per season over the past several years.

Another thing players don’t seem to love is the increasing number of two-week combined tournaments for women and men at the tier below the Slams, which reduces breaks between events.

“We don’t have time to work on stuff or live peacefully,” Swiatek said, “because from one tournament we’re going straight to another.”

She also noted that the 2025 season actually begins in the last week of December 2024.

“There is no question the professional tennis season is long, and we recognize the demanding schedule experienced, especially, by players competing at the highest level. … The new schedule, which was developed in consultation with representatives of players and tournaments, does not require players (on average) to play more than they would have played in previous years, but provides more predictability for the top players and better pathways for aspiring players,” new tour CEO Portia Archer said. “The WTA will continue to listen to player and tournament feedback and will be open to making adjustments in the future as may be appropriate.”