"Why she has to justify";"WTA better start doing something"- Fans back Iga Swiatek as she doubles down on 'crazy' schedule criticism after US Open 1R 

Iga Swiatek recently criticized the WTA tour scheduling after her first-round win over Kamila Rakhimova. Subsequently, several fans voiced their support for her comments and asked the management to take appropriate action on the issue.

During her post-match press conference, the Pole criticized the "crazy" scheduling on tour. She highlighted that players are forced to compete in successive tournaments with minimal rest, with mandatory events in the mix.

"I think players are aware that this is crazy what's going on, and the schedule is really tough... I spoke about it in Cincinnati, for example, and there are people saying that, oh, I don't have to play so many tournaments," Swiatek said.

"But truth, like the fact is that we have so many mandatory tournaments. We literally need to, you know, show up and we don't have time to, like, work on stuff or, like believe peacefully, because from one tournament we're going straight to another," she added.

Swiatek stressed that adjusting the schedule would help reduce player injuries and withdrawals, ultimately giving fans more opportunities to watch them compete regularly. Swiatek also voiced frustration over the lack of player involvement in scheduling decisions.

A fan later shared Swiatek's comments on X (formerly Twitter).

Several fans later rallied in support of Swiatek, saying she was right to bring up the issue of scheduling for players.

"Swiatek R1 was her 63rd match in 2024, we are not even in September. She played Mandatory events and still sure to miss the target of 10 '1000' + 6 '500' while fatigue is starting to really hit her. I don't get why she has to kind of justify herself while stating the obvious," one fan said.

"WTA better start doing something I don’t want my girl to get burnt out at 27 I will k word them," another said.

"yeah iga definitely needs a long break after the uso is over," a fan chimed in.

Here are a few more reactions from the fans, speaking out in support of Swiatek's assertions:

"My goat never scared of speaking the truth!!!!!" A fan wrote.

"I'm 100% with her !" another commented.

"WTA is a joke organization that what I can say," third expressed.

Swiatek's first-round encounter against Rakhimova proved challenging, as she accumulated 41 unforced errors during the course. However, she ultimately prevailed 6-4, 7-6(6) to advance to the next round.

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Iga Swiatek to face Ena Shibahara in 2024 US Open second round

Iga Swiatek at the US Open 2024 - Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek is set to face Japan's Ena Shibahara in the second round of the 2024 US Open. Shibahara reached the main draw after defeating Katarina Zavatska, Francesca Jones, and Arianne Hartono in the qualifiers. The Japanese defeated Australia's Daria Saville in the first round to set her clash against Swiatek.

Before the US Open, Swiatek had competed at the Cincinnati Open, where she reached the semifinal. The 23-year-old will aim for her second US Open title this year, her sixth Grand Slam victory overall.

If Swiatek advances past Shibahara, she will meet the winner of Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova's clash, in the next round.