Iga Swiatek is withdrawing from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers and that is undoubtedly a significant blow to Poland’s chances of making the knockout stage.
Between April 10-12, Poland will take on Ukraine and Switzerland in Radom and the winner of the group will secure a ticket for the BJK Cup Finals.
Unfortunately for the Poles, they will be without their top star, who had to make “a difficult” but also “the right decision” at the same time.
“I have made a difficult decision. I know that this is not the information that fans, especially Polish ones, wanted, nevertheless it is the right decision for me for now,” Swiatek announced in a message posted on her Instagram Story.
“I will not play in the Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tournament, which will be held in Radom. I always represent my country with pride. I played everything there was to play for the country last year. I am extremely proud of the historic team successes – the BUKC semifinals and the UC (United Cup) finals.
“Now it’s time for more balance, focusing on myself and my training. I keep my fingers crossed for the girls and for the whole team.”
Why is Swiatek skipping the BJK Cup qualifiers?
As mentioned above, the BJK Cup qualifiers weekend is scheduled for April 10-12. On April 14th, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart is taking place.
Swiatek, who has been a global ambassador for Porsche since 2023, has commitments there and she is scheduled to play. So if the world No. 2 decided to play the BJK Cup qualifiers, that would make her schedule pretty tight and wouldn’t give her much time to prepare for Stuttgart and could possibly risk arriving tired there.
Also, the Madrid Open is starting the week after Stuttgart.
Swiatek’s decision to skip the BJK Cup qualifiers probably won’t sit well with the Polish tennis community but it is pretty clear that she has her reasons for pulling out of the event.
Tennis World USA