By News18,Siddarth Sriram

Copyright news18

Six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek admitted on Monday that she may consider skipping mandatory tournaments in the future to safeguard her health, after a series of injuries to players overshadowed the China Open.
The Polish star, currently ranked world No. 2, advanced to the last 16 in Beijing after her opponent, Colombia’s Camila Osorio, retired injured before the second set.
A Growing Concern Over Scheduling
The sheer volume of tournaments has long been under scrutiny. Veterans like Novak Djokovic have already scaled back their schedules to prolong their careers, while younger players face mounting pressure to meet tour obligations.
“I don’t know yet how my career is going to look like in a couple of years,” said Swiatek, 24. “Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory.”
WTA’s Mandatory Commitments
Since 2023, the Women’s Tennis Association has required top players to compete in all four Grand Slams, ten WTA 1000 events –including Beijing — and six 500-level tournaments.
For stars consistently advancing deep into draws, that translates into an unforgiving workload.
“It’s just impossible to squeeze it in the schedule,” Swiatek said. “I think we have to be smart about it, not really, unfortunately care about the rules and just think what’s healthy for us.”
She described the requirements as “pretty crazy” and noted that fatigue inevitably builds in the second half of the season. “I think the Asian swing is the hardest part because you feel like the season is going to finish soon, but you still need to push.”
Injuries Mount Across Tours
Swiatek’s comments come amid a string of withdrawals in Beijing. France’s Lois Boisson retired from her match on Monday, while two other players pulled out mid-match the previous day. On the men’s side, Jakub Mensik also retired during his quarter-final.
Elsewhere, men’s world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz narrowly avoided serious injury last week when he twisted his ankle at the Japan Open.
Focus on Longevity
For Swiatek, the only solution under the current framework is careful management. “The only thing I can do now, when I decided I’m going to play all these mandatory tournaments, is to just take care of my body, take care of the recovery,” she said.
But she acknowledged the wider issue: “Yeah, there are a lot of injuries. I think it is because the season is too long and too intense.”
(with agency inputs)