This season, top tennis players played about 20 tournaments over ten months, which was definitely a lot of effort for them. They complained about too short breaks between individual events. Skipping tournaments later resulted in a penalty of deduction of points in the ranking. In this way, Iga Świątek lost the first place in the ranking because she did not play the required number of WTA 500 tournaments. As a result, points for the worst performance were deducted from her and she was worse off than Aryna Sabalenka.
Muguruza responds to Świątek's appeal regarding the WTA calendar
– Of course we have too many tournaments, but it's not our decision. This will not end well, and tennis will give us less and less pleasure – said Iga Świątek in August in an interview with Sky Sports. The discussion about the calendar continued for the following weeks, until autumn.
Before the US Open, Świątek appealed for changes in the calendar. – People tell me that I don't have to play so much, but it's not true. There are compulsory tournaments, and during the season there is no time to improve or think… You go from one tournament to another. I played in Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome, at the French Open and between these competitions I only had two days break. I didn't have time for anything. This is something that needs to change. It would even be better for fans because they would be less likely to see their favorite players end their careers early or get injured frequently. We could present higher quality. I think many players realize that what is happening is crazy. However, we see that we have virtually no influence on what is happening. We tried to talk about it, but it didn't help. For these reasons, tennis is heading in the wrong direction, she said.
The topic came up again during the WTA Finals, and Garbine Muguruza was asked to comment on Świątek's appeal. The Spaniard withdrew from the game at the end of the 2022 season and later declared a longer break from tennis. Eventually, she dropped below 1,000th place in the WTA rankings. In an interview with “Women's Helath” in March 2023, she admitted that she had no intention of returning and was happy with the decision.
Today, he disagrees with Świątak and believes that tennis players should not complain about an overloaded calendar. She herself did not criticize the number of tournaments required for top tennis players to play, and she was one of them. According to the Spaniard, Świątek can skip specific tournaments, not worry about penalties and organize his own calendar. Contrary to the WTA regulations, which stipulate the required number of events. In the huge number of tournaments during the season, she sees opportunities created for lower-ranked players.
– It is what it is. We have many options, you can also create your own schedule. You don't have to play in all tournaments. It's great that we have so many tournaments, so many opportunities for tennis players who are not even in the TOP 50, Muguruza said in an interview with “The National”.
Muguruza was also asked about a possible return. She maintained her position from last year that she did not want to return and decided to take a break at the right time.