World number one Iga Swiatek has hit out at the Women's Tennis Association and International Tennis Federation after announcing her withdrawal from the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
The reigning French and US Open champion was due to represent Poland at the BJK Cup Finals in Glasgow, which takes place from November 8 to 13, right after the WTA Finals.
Swiatek has qualified for the year-end WTA Finals in Forth Worth, Texas and will begin her quest for glory on October 31, potentially finishing as late as November 7.
As a result, the 21-year-old would have been forced to navigate a 24-hour period to transfer from the United States to the UK, and she is not prepared to jeopardise her health to compete in both tournaments.
Confirming her withdrawal on Instagram, Swiatek insisted she was "very sorry" to pull out of the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and planned to hold talks with the WTA and ITF to combat the scheduling issue for players and fans.
"I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow," Swiatek posted.
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"And it makes me sad. I'm very sorry, because I play for Poland whenever it's possible and I always give it my best. Playing in Poland this year (in the qualifiers in April) was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season.
"I'm disappointed that tennis governing bodies didn't come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone.
"The situation is not safe for our health and could cause injury. I'm going to talk to the WTA and ITF in order to change something. This situation is difficult not only for the players like me, but mainly for the tennis fans that support our sport."
Swiatek is one of two singles players to have already sealed their place at the 2022 WTA Finals, the other being Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, who lost to the Pole in the US Open final.
The world number one's US Open triumph represented her 10th singles title on the WTA circuit, seven of which have come in the 2022 season, and she is currently preparing to face Alja Tomljanovic at the Ostrava Open second round this week.
Poland are one of 12 teams gunning for glory at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which were won by the Russian Tennis Federation last year, but a new champion will be crowned in 2022 after the holders were suspended in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
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