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Zheng Qinwen respond on Iga Swiatek comment on schedule

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6K views 139 replies 83 participants last post by  Freakin' Bat  
#1 · (Edited)
#3 ·
"The strongest players survive" says the player, who didn't survive.

Ironic. Even more so, because she doesn't realize it. IF (and that's a huge if) she could be ever consistent enough to win 50+ matches across four years, she'd sing a whole different tune.
 
#63 ·
It is not essentially different, actually. Matches can be brutal, "elites" care for their favorites, somethings can be fixed, still genuine heroes can continue to fight and sometimes make great victories (OK, still not too often, life is not movie.
 
#12 ·
Unfortunately for her, the Asian swing will suffer the most due to this calendar.
 
#13 ·
Not sure why many think it's some kind of "own" to point out that Zheng herself hasn't lasted the season. Perhaps she thinks she herself is not strong enough and needs to become even fitter, so there's nothing contradictory or paradoxical about what she's saying.

I've honestly never understood players whining about the schedule. Play the tournaments you want, and don't play if you don't want. No one's going to arrest and prosecute you for not playing. At worst, you might get some points penalty or lose a bonus. No one's forcing you to play. Sabalenka has played 3 less tournaments than Swiatek this season, and is chilling on vacation. It's Swiatek choosing to run herself into the ground to reach number one - and then whining about it. Lower ranked players don't have the luxury of whining about having to play too many tournaments. They want to play as many tournaments as possible to earn points and prize money. It's the privileged top players who whine about it all the time.
 
#20 ·
Lower-ranked players are lower-ranked precisely because they don't win a lot of matches. Faster tournament exits -> less fatigue -> more time to play other tournaments.

Also, I disagree with your jab about the privilege. There is no privilege in Iga's position, only hard-earned status. I don't recall her ever receiving a wild card in her entire career.

Reminds me of Alcaraz whining about the schedule last year, even though he's never seen an exhibition that he wouldn't play. Despite a packed tour schedule in an Olympic year, he found time to play exhos in Puerto Rico, New York, North Carolina, plus Laver Cup, Six Kings slam etc. Same thing again this year where he's played Laver Cup, will play a number of North American exhos, Six Kings slam etc. Who's forcing him to play all that?
How does Iga remind you of Alcaraz? Does she play lucrative exhibitions left and right like a hypocrite?
 
#16 ·
Reminds me of Alcaraz whining about the schedule last year, even though he's never seen an exhibition that he wouldn't play. Despite a packed tour schedule in an Olympic year, he found time to play exhos in Puerto Rico, New York, North Carolina, plus Laver Cup, Six Kings slam etc. Same thing again this year where he's played Laver Cup, will play a number of North American exhos, Six Kings slam etc. Who's forcing him to play all that?
 
#17 ·
Iga's been singing the same tune basically since she got to the top. It's the usual elite player desire disguised as complaint: they want fewer mandatory matches and tournaments, which just means more space on the tennis calendar to cash in on lucrative exhibitions. But this interest directly contradicts not only the tour as a whole but also individual players and also tournament owners. It's not in owners interest that the elite players are less and less available.
 
#22 ·
Or the bloody mixed doubles at the US Open. 🤦‍♂️

There are many issues with the scheduling and this has been compounded by the unnecessary two week-long 1000 events. But Iga clearly has the means to miss a few and if it means she isn’t eligible for any bonuses or whatever, so be it. She has set financially for life as it is even if she hangs up her rackets today.
 
#25 ·
#27 ·
"We have to play this many tournaments because there is the Calendar" - So basically it has to be like that because the WTA Calendar is like that. Sounds like nonsens. There was a time when there were only 4 mandatory events outside of the Slams. Now it is 16 (10 WTA 1000 + 6 WTA 500). Tennis has become a survival sport. And here is Zheng right - only the strongest survive. That's why this tennis era is the hardest. It is physically demanding. And when the body has its problems it also affects the mental game.

In the past a big tournament was a big tournament. It was more special. Now it feels like we have every 2 weeks a big tournament. The magic is gone. And sometimes it feels like the performance of the players also. That's why I have such a respect for Iga. She is able to be a consistent No. 1 or No. 2 player for so long in that environment. 4 seasons now. Sabalenka has done also a good job in the last 2 years. Good we have those two players at the top. It would be total chaos in the WTA without them.
 
#30 ·
In my view the season isn’t really too long or too short. The real problem is the mandatory tournaments players are forced to enter. Dropping the mandatory rule wouldn’t lower the quality or the field at all. Even those unpopular late-season Asian events would still have plenty of big names — players would go anyway, whether for money or points. A few might skip them, sure, but it wouldn’t hurt the overall level of play.
 
#39 ·
Yes, it's not just one thing but many issues coinciding, and the 'mandatory' 500's and all the B2B 1000's.
And the surface homogenization and most tournaments being slower and the matches taking longer and being a lot more physical.
Where is the players council? They really need to come together and propose smth to the tour because this season has been brutal with injuries.