Iga Swiatek speaks up about ‘crazy’ tennis schedule again, ‘we’re playing too much’

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Iga Swiatek has been very vocal about her thoughts on the WTA schedule over recent years.

Like many other players on tour, Swiatek isn’t impressed with the number of tournaments she is required to play each year.

In June, Swiatek described the WTA schedule as ‘super intense’, and said there was no point in playing 20 tournaments per season.

After losing in the quarterfinals of the US Open, Swiatek headed to Korea, where she won the title, fulfilling her WTA 500 obligations.

Now competing at the China Open WTA 1000 event, Swiatek reiterated her concerns over the schedule following her second-round win.

Iga Swiatek says the WTA schedule is ‘really demanding and tough’

Receiving a bye into round two as the number one seed, Swiatek began her China Open campaign against home-favorite Yue Yuan.

Dropping just three games, Swiatek booked her place in the third round with a 6-0, 6-3 win and had this to say about the tennis schedule during her post-match press conference.

“Well, when I look at the schedule, I think we’re playing too much, and the schedule is crazy,” she said.

“That’s the first thing probably that will pop into my head.

“The schedule is really demanding and tough.”

Swiatek proceeded to explain how she approaches her schedule to avoid getting overwhelmed.

“That’s why I try to split the year into swings and just focus on the next swing,” she said.

“After a four-week pre-season, eight days of vacation, if I were to look at the end of December and think I’m going to need to play for 11 months on the top of my game, I think that would be overwhelming. It’s better to just really take it step by step.”

The Pole then shared what her goals are in tennis, having already won six Grand Slams and held the number one ranking for 125 weeks.

“I mean, I kind of achieved more than I ever thought anyway. I’m really just trying to develop as a player and learn new skills, just focus on improving the parts of my game that I feel need improvement,” said Swiatek.

“The wins and the records don’t really speak to me in terms of the motivation.”

Swiatek has certainly improved in 2025, taking her game to another level, especially on the grass courts where she had often struggled in the past.

The world number two will now prepare to play Camila Osorio in the third round of the 2025 China Open, as she continues to battle with the busy schedule.

How many matches has Iga Swiatek played in 2025?

The China Open is Swiatek’s 17th tournament of the year, as she nears the 75-match mark for 2025.

She won’t be done after the China Open either, with two tournaments left on her schedule.

• Wuhan Open (WTA 1000)
• WTA Finals (WTA Finals)

The 24-year-old will head over to Wuhan for the final WTA 1000 tournament of the year next month, before she finishes her year in Saudi Arabia at the WTA Finals.

Swiatek won the WTA Finals back in 2023, but would love nothing more than to add another title to her collection in 2025.

She won’t want to get too far ahead of herself, however, as there is still plenty of work to be done in Beijing.

Swiatek will return to take on Osorio in the third round on Sunday, September 28.