Iga Swiatek, highly regarded as one of the world’s best players, is going through her own concerns right now. The number 1 ranked player, who last played at the US Open, has pulled out of the China Open. This comes after she has slammed the WTA for poor scheduling of the matches. Although she may return to the courts soon, few believe her season might already be over for now.
One among them is Rennae Stubbs, the former coach of Serena Williams. In her recent podcast, The Rennae Stubbs Show, she talked about the concerns surrounding the Polish star. However, what surprised many was her bold statement regarding the Pole’s tennis future. While she might be enjoying her time off the court trying to recover, Stubbs suggested curtains might close this season.
“You’ve got players pulling out left and right. You’ve got, you know, Iga Swiatek has decided that she’s just shutting it down. By the looks of it,” suggested Stubbs. Speaking about her absence from the China Open, Swiatek suggested personal reasons made her take this decision.
“Hey guys
Iga here
I have had to withdraw from the China open for personal reasons”Dang!
Sabo will be breathing down your neck on the rankings
Dang!🙏good luck🙏 https://t.co/lmp9cF07CF pic.twitter.com/Ul6cuawZy8
— Sourav Mitra (@danceofminds) September 24, 2024
“I’m very sorry as I had an amazing time playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to being back there,” Swiatek said. “I’m sorry I won’t be a part of it this time,” answered the French Open winner while asked about her absence.
Her absence will also put her under great threat as her biggest rival, Aryna Sabalenka, will look to close the gap on her. Snubbing the China Open will also result in her losing 1000 points. While she will still be sitting at the top after the tournament ends with 9,885 points, Aryna Sabalenka, who is second with 8,716 points, will capitalize on it and close the gap as much as she can.
However, amidst all the hustle, there is good news for her fans. Iga Swiatek’s return to the court has finally been confirmed.
Iga Swiatek might return to the court soon, her manager confirms
While Iga Swiatek might have been out of the court for a while now, her return date is approaching. Her manager, Paula Wolecka, in an interview, said that she might make her return to the court soon. “The next tournament Iga has signed up for is the Wuhan tournament,” told Wolecka.
The tournament will commence on October 7th and end on the 13th of the same month. Interestingly, the Polish star has not featured in a competition since the 5th of September. She has taken such a long gap from her usual tennis schedule for the first time in her career. While she might still be surpassing the likes of Ash Barty in the all-time world number 1 week, there’s still danger looming over her shoulders.
With the WTA Finals on the line and the year-end number 1 spot, it will be interesting to see if she can retain her spot on the top.