Iga Swiatek answers if she’ll take break after shock US Open loss & slamming schedule

Iga Swiatek may be one of the harshest critics of the WTA calendar out there but that doesn’t mean that she will be taking an extended break from tennis after a disappointing end to the final Grand Slam of the year.

The Pole, who entered the US Open seeded at No. 1 and among the top favorites for the title, saw her campaign come to an end in the quarterfinal following a surprise 2-6 4-6 loss to Jessica Pegula.

Throughout the match, the five-time Major champion wasn’t looking like her usual self and the stat that perfectly sums up her performance was the 23-year-old having just 12 winners and a shocking 41 unforced errors.

Since Swiatek dropped some pretty heavy criticism on the schedule twice during August, the reporters were interested in knowing if she was contemplating to step away from the game for some time or relax her calendar in the remainder of the year.

“I don’t want to take a break. It’s tough. It could be a little bit easier, but I’m keeping up with the schedule. I’m only talking about mandatory tournaments and there are rules about mandatory tournaments. But I’m ready for playing till November, I guess, unless I’m going to get injured,” the world No. 1 said.

Swiatek: People are going to hate me, but…
As mentioned above, the Polish tennis superstar made her feelings on the schedule cristal clear a couple of times during this past month. After collecting a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics – which were held on the clay courts of Roland Garros – the 23-year-old came to Cincinnati two weeks later for their WTA 1000 tournament.

There, the five-time Major winner made it past her opening three matches before getting bounced by Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinal. Before exiting Cincinnati, Swiatek came back from a set down to avoid an upset and beat Mirra Andreeva 4-6 6-3 7-5. After the Andreeva match, the Pole absolutely unloaded on the calendar.

“So what can I say I’ve been kind of an advocate, saying that well, 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 as it’s just it makes tennis less fun for us. Let’s just say, I mean, obviously, I love playing all these places but it’s pretty exhausting,” Swiatek told Sky Sports in Cincinnati.