"Are you proud of being ridiculous?" - Tennis fans rebuke Billie Jean King Cup's scheduling conflict with WTA Finals

2022 WTA Finals - Day 8
Tennis fans criticize Billie Jean King Cup's scheduling conflict with WTA Finals after Elise Mertens' match

Elise Mertens had less than 24 hours between competing in Texas at the WTA Finals and reaching Glasgow for her Billie Jean King Cup Finals (BJKC) match.

On Monday night, Mertens hurried to the airport after winning the doubles match with Veronika Kudermetova in Fort Worth. She boarded three flights before landing in Glasgow for the BJKC. Only 12 hours later, Belgium's opening match against Slovakia got underway.

Though Johan Van Herck was unwilling to pick Mertens for the BJKC match, she partnered up with Kirsten Flipkens and defeated Viktoria Kuzmova and Tereza Mihalikova by a score of 6-0, 6-3.

Mertens was one of seven athletes scheduled to compete in both competitions this year. The chances of capturing a second BJKC title for the Czech Republic were severely hampered when Barbora Krejcikova decided to withdraw from the squad on Wednesday due to a hand injury. Jessica Pegula also withdrew from the United States team on Monday.

Tennis fans on Twitter jumped in to talk about the scheduling conflict between the two competitions. One fan stated that it harms the player's health, writing:

"Are you proud of being ridiculous? This schedule was stupid and harmful from the start. Anyone responsible would be fired in a serious company."

Another user claimed that while he was happy for Mertens, this situation is nothing to be proud of for either the WTA or ITF. He added that this was why Iga Swiatek decided against competing in the Billie Jean King Cup this year.

"I'm happy for Elise but yikes this is nothing to be proud of for either the WTA or ITF. This is like a decent part of the reason Iga isn't playing the BJK Cup," one tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions from fans:


Great Britain's semifinal chances at Billie Jean King Cup Finals remain alive following Spain's defeat of Kazakhstan

Great Britain can still qualify for the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup.
Great Britain can still qualify for the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup.

Spain's victory against Kazakhstan in Glasgow left Group C in doubt, reviving Great Britain's chances of making it to the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

Kazakhstan defeated Great Britain 2-1 in their opening game and with a win over Spain, they would have taken first place. But Nuria Parrizas Diaz and Paula Badosa's wins in the singles match were the ones that broke the tie.

With a victory over Great Britain on Thursday, Spain will qualify. Spain earlier beat Kazakhstan in the doubles match, meaning Great Britain needs to defeat Spain 3-0 to keep their hopes alive.

Moreover, Danielle Collins gave the United States a winning start by defeating Magdalena Frech of Poland 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(2). Following her rapid turnaround from the WTA Finals in Texas, Coco Gauff was left out of the USA singles team on the first day.

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Edited by Anirudh Velamuri
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