Iga Swiatek's complaints about the hectic WTA calendar after Dubai shocker: Justified or No-Good Excuse?

After her recent loss to Mirra Andreeva on Thursday, Iga Swiatek took issue with the WTA calendar once more. It's not new for her or other tennis professionals, because the calendar remains an active topic of discussion on both sides of the sport.

While some old-school players have generally refrained from commenting on the topic, the younger generations have been outspoken about the calendar being overwhelming. Carlos Alcaraz on the men's side has called the calendar 'too much and brutal', while Iga Swiatek on the women's side voiced similar concerns.

As for Swiatek, the World No. 2 has issues with how length and structuring of the tennis calendar. One notable grievance she had in the past is how the WTA Finals are basically the week before the Billie Jean King Cup, which prevented her from playing for her country at the Cup a few times.

In 2023, Swiatek won the WTA Finals in Cancun, leaving her less than 24 hours to fly to Europe for the Billie Jean King Cup.

It was impossible for her, and she wanted to see some changes in that structure, but so far, nothing has happened. As for her most recent grievance, Swiatek spoke about it after her loss in Dubai.

"I'm not surprised. It's definitely a matter of the calendar. We won't be able to play at a high level for so many years, week after week," she said.

Swiatek has been in the spotlight for many years now, so none of this should come as a huge surprise to her. She further mentioned that the hectic scheduling allowed little time to rest and recover amid changes in playing conditions, which affected results.

"It's not like it was some time ago when players outside the top twenty were easily defeated. Now anyone can win these tournaments. It's been like that for a few years now. The calendar doesn't help. We're constantly moving between continents. We're changing surfaces and balls. It's not easy."

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Is Iga Swiatek Right?

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships - Day Five - Source: Getty

The question that arises from Iga Swiatek and other players' complaints about the schedule is whether they are right. Whether these grievances are valid, it’s not a black-and-white issue. Swiatek and other players are right in the sense that it truly isn’t easy to be away from home for such a long period, but it’s the nature of the job.

All of them signed up for it willingly. While it’s true that moving between continents and dealing with different conditions also isn’t easy, but it’s part of the deal and not something they weren’t aware of when they signed up to be tennis players. It’s a job that has its perks and drawbacks, none of which are hidden.

While it is true that the calendar is too long and probably could be shorter, but the schedule exists for all players, not just the top players. Top players have a select amount of tournaments they have to play, but other than that, they don’t really have to play most of them.

The overwhelming majority of top players don’t even play them, while some lower-ranked players are truly the ones who carry most of the load when it comes to the calendar. They have no choice but to play every week and travel because that’s how they earn their living and their complaints arguably carry more weight in that sense.

The complaints are valid, and there is plenty of truth in them. However, they’re not a very good excuse. Let’s take the example of Swiatek and how her calendar has looked so far in 2025.

She was down under in Australia, and after the conclusion of that event, she went home. Between her final match in Australia and the first one in Doha, there were three weeks, which was plenty of time to recover and rest up at home. Sure, there were practices at that time, but as a professional athlete, that’s simply the life you signed up for.

Following this, she had a couple of days between her final match in Doha and the first one in Dubai as a seeded player. The flight was short, and the conditions were relatively similar, so overall it was not the toughest turnover.

For a professional tennis player who has been part of the tour, it shouldn’t be that massive of a problem. To conclude, a valid complaint, but a terrible excuse.