Iga Swiatek, the former world No. 1, openly criticized the current tennis calendar, stating it imposes excessive pressure on players who must compete in over 20 tournaments annually to sustain their rankings. She expressed her frustration about having to prioritize WTA 500 events over representing her country, citing mental health challenges as a primary concern. Swiatek suggested that reducing the number of tournaments could enhance the quality of matches and maintain viewer interest, echoing sentiments reflected in a recent lawsuit by the Professional Tennis Players' Association against the sport's governance.
"The scheduling is super intense. It's too intense. There's no point for us to play over 20 tournaments in a year," Swiatek told reporters.
"I think these kind of obligations and the rules about mandatory tournaments just put pressure on us. I think people would still watch tennis, maybe even more, if we played less tournaments."
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