'This is part of the game': Zheng Qinwen dismisses Iga Swiatek’s schedule criticism

Zheng Qinwen responded to comments by Iga Swiatek regarding the hectic WTA Tour calendar, after the Polish player criticized the large number of mandatory tournaments throughout the year. In a season lasting nearly 11 months—from January to November—and with the constant injuries seen on the Tour, the criticism has been repeated time and again.

The latest player to criticize the schedule was Iga Swiatek, precisely the player with the most matches this season, having accumulated 72 matches so far (59-13). The Pole has reached four finals and five other semifinals this year.

The China Open has been marked by several mid-match retirements. In the Round of 32 alone, stars like Paula Badosa, Barbora Krejcikova, Lois Boisson, and Camila Osorio withdrew from their respective matches. The most recent to do so was China's 7th seed, Zheng Qinwen, who was just returning from an injury that kept her out for almost three months.

Swiatek was one of the players who benefited from a rival's injury. The Pole only managed to play one set in the Round of 32 against Osorio, taking a commanding 6-0 lead before the Colombian retired from the match. Swiatek advanced to the Fourth Round, where she will face Emma Navarro—another player who benefited from her opponent's retirement.

Swiatek hints at skipping mandatory events

After securing her passage to the next round, Swiatek was asked in a press conference about the high number of mandatory tournaments players face during the year, and how this ultimately affects their physical condition. The six-time major champion suggested she will reconsider whether it is worth attending every single mandatory tournament in the future.

"Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory," said the Polish star during the post-match press conference. "WTA with all these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us. I don’t think any top player will actually be able to achieve this, for example, playing the six 500 tournaments. It’s just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule."

For players in the Top-30, it is mandatory to play all 10 WTA 1000 tournaments, plus the four Grand Slams and six other WTA 500 tournaments—in addition to the WTA Finals for the eight qualifiers—among whom Swiatek has already qualified for the fourth consecutive year. Otherwise, players incur fines on prize money and points.

A year ago, the Pole suffered a year-end deduction of points and prize money because she only attended two of the required six WTA 500 tournaments. The measure complicated her ranking ambitions, and she ended the season displaced from World No. 1. "I think we have to be smart about it and not really, unfortunately, care about the rules, and just think what’s healthy for us. It’s tough."

"The strongest players survive": Zheng disagrees with Swiatek's criticism

It didn't take long for the response from Zheng Qinwen—one of the players involved in the retirements in Beijing. Zheng was returning to the courts after three months off, and she returned knowing she was not yet at 100% physically. After winning her debut, she could not finish the match against the 26th seed, Linda Noskova.

The 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist said she disagreed with her colleague's words. "I mean, this is part of the games. As a professional player, I mean, this is what it is because we have to play that many tournament because there is in the calendar," said the 22-year-old in her press conference. "I think my situation’s different than them. I coming from surgery, which is really rush decision for me to playing here."

"But also is the right decision for me because I want to see where my body is right now. Okay, now I know to compete third set, the amount of hitting the balls is too much for me. But I don’t think for professional player the calendar is too much because the strongest players survive, and that’s the rules in my head.”