“I don’t think our sport is going in the right direction,” Iga Swiatek said, during her US Open campaign, referring to the grueling tennis schedule. As she firmly pointed out the exhausting reality of the sport that affects a player’s mental and physical health, Swiatek’s plea for a better schedule is now resonating with many other players. Carlos Alcaraz, who lost in the second round at the US Open, also had a similar concern after his defeat. And now, Swiatek’s childhood coach Artur Szostaczko has voiced his opinion on the matter, siding with both players.
During an interview with Sport.PL, Szostackzo elaborated on the missing piece in Swiatek’s game in the US Open, where she lost in the QF. The 53-year-old focused on the intense pressure that players faced after the Olympics. “Let’s remember that Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz are still young players. You can see a certain decline in them after the games, in my opinion, it is due to the huge mental burden. If a tennis player does not feel confident in his head, the game starts to fail,” said Szostaczko, who coached Swiatek until she was 10 years old.
Alcaraz went into the 2024 US Open as one of the favorites. Even though he had lost to Novak Djokovic in the Paris Olympics gold medal match, his form throughout the season had been magnificent as he had breezed past everyone at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. However, at the US Open, the Spaniard fell to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round itself. Even after taking a short break after the Olympics, Alcaraz looked a bit tired and had to go home disappointed. “The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately,” he said after the defeat.
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The Indian Wells winner was unable to bring his usual energy to the court and admitted without any hesitation that he hadn’t been taking long enough breaks between major tournaments. Echoing the same sentiment, Iga Swiatek also expressed her strong opinion on the lack of unity in the tour’s approach to scheduling. The Pole, who has been struggling with her form after winning the 2024 French Open, further addressed the harmful impact of maintaining a frequent appearance in tennis events by sacrificing mental and physical issues.
The five-time Grand Slam champion, who managed to secure a bronze in the Summer Olympics and earned five titles this year, further complained about how a “normal life” eludes her amid the intense scheduling issues of the sport. “We don’t have time to work on stuff or live peacefully.” Now, her former coach’s comments further serve as timely reminders of the importance of prioritizing mental well-being in tennis. And it’s not just at the US Open that Swiatek raised the issue, she spoke about a similar concern at the Cincinnati Open as well.
Iga Swiatek’s take on “too many tournaments” of this season
After a semifinal defeat in the Paris Olympics, Iga Swiatek went straight to the Cincinnati Masters. However, the World No. 1 player, who lost in the third round at Wimbledon and missed the Canadian Open due to fatigue, could not go past Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals. Before that match, the Pole had opened up on the rigid scheduling problem after sweeping past Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.
“I think we have too many tournaments in the season. It’s not going to end well. It makes tennis less fun for us…We deserve to rest a little bit more,” she said.
Swiatek recently declared her withdrawal from the Korea Open as well. She further emphasized how, after the US Open, her “physical condition has not returned to normal.” Alcaraz’s recent struggles and Swiatek’s inconsistent form have sparked concerns about burnout. What’s your take on this?
