Iga Swiatek says she “calmly” reacted to Agnieszka Radwanska calling her out over her recent Billie Jean King absence. Swiatek, ranked at No 1 in the world, opted not to represent Poland in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow due to a scheduling clash. The WTA Finals concluded on November 7th, while the Billie Jean King Cup Finals started the following day. When addressing Swiatek’s absence, Polish tennis legend Radwanska said Swiatek would just need to play in the most important matches and that her presence would have a very positive impact on the Polish team. Also, Radwanska pointed out that Swiatek is still very young and suggested that the 22-year-old should have toughed it out. “She would not participate in all meetings, but the most important ones,” Radwanska said in November.
Swiatek responds to Radwanska: Sometimes you have to make a selfish decision
“I treated this statement calmly. Some words are taken out of context, I have experienced this myself several times. Agnieszka knows how to function on a tour, what the burdens are, she knows this perspective. He knows that sometimes you have to make a more selfish decision that will later help you avoid problems that will affect everyone. Agnieszka expressed her opinion in the context that she herself had sacrificed many times for the national team. A similar attitude must certainly be appreciated. However, I have the impression that in the past all this was not analyzed so carefully and some things were easier to plan. There was no discussion that, for example, the next tournament would be played on another continent,” Swiatek told SportoweFakty. Without Swiatek, Poland failed to make it past the group stage at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Had Swiatek played, Poland’s chances of making a strong run would have certainly been much stronger. It remains to be seen if Swiatek will return to the Polish team in 2024.