World No. 1 Iga Swiatek Withdraws From 2024 Canadian Open In Toronto
The tennis schedule is generally very packed, which is why most players need to be really selective with the events they play. Swiatek is one of those players, as her skill level would permit her to play most events and still be favored to win.
It’s not something many players can afford, but for the World No. 1, it’s not necessarily a blessing. It makes it harder to pick her spots as to where to play. This year, the situation was made even tougher by the inclusion of the Olympic Games into the calendar.
It made an already packed schedule even more packed, and many players prioritized the Olympics above other tournaments. The reverse happened, as well, as some notable names like Aryna Sabalenka opted to play in Washington this week instead of the Olympics.
For Swiatek, the Olympic Games were a clear choice. She got herself to the medal rounds, where she suffered an upsetting loss to Qinwen Zheng, which was minorly softened by her win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in the bronze medal match.
Competing this previous week on clay left her chances of playing at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto fairly small. Besides the quick surface change, which in itself is rather problematic, Swiatek has also played a lot of tennis lately.
The Olympics were a special case because they were not only physically but also emotionally draining, which made competing in Toronto look very unlikely.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Polish player withdrew from the event, which was confirmed by a press release which included a short comment from Swiatek on why she had to withdraw.
