Iga Swiatek has changed her mind when it comes to participating at this year's Billie Jean King Cup as the Polish tennis star will after all represent her nation in Malaga next month.
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Earlier this year, the new world No. 2 made her first BJK Cup appearance since 2022 and won two singles matches to lead Poland to a win over Switzerland in the qualifier. But after helping her country book a spot in the main event, the five-time Grand Slam champion wasn't named in the team's initial list which was released in September. At the time, Magdalena Frech, Magda Linette, Maja Chwalinska and Katarzyna Kawa were named in the lineup by team captain David Celt.
However, after resting for the past month and a half and undergoing some team changes, Swiatek has backtracked on her previous and plans to help the Polish team in the event that is slated to take place between November 13-18. Needless to say, having the 23-year-old on the team is a major boost for Poland and their chances of doing well in Malaga.
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"See you in Malaga! I'm happy to announce that I will play in the BJKC Finals. I'm glad that I'll play for my country and proudly represent Poland. Together with team Poland we will give our best on the court. I hope you'll watch and support us. See you soon," Swiatek announced through an Instagram Story.
On November 13th, Poland will battle against hosts Spain in the BJK Cup quarterfinal.
Swiatek heavily criticized the BJK Cup timing in the past
After it was revealed last month that the 23-year-old didn't accept to represent her nation in Malaga, it didn't really come as a surprise at all. In 2022, the four-time French Open champion winner led Poland to securing a ticket for the BJK Cup Finals. But although her intention was to play in the event, she ended up missing it. And not only that she didn't play there, but Swiatek also unloaded on the tennis authorities.
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Two years ago, the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, concluded on November 7th. The following day, the BJK Cup Finals started in Spain. The scheduling left the Polish star baffled and she didn't back down a bit when revealing her true feelings. At the time, she ripped the scheduling as "unfair."
"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. 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 honor and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season," Swiatek said in a lengthy post in 2022 October.
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"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."
The same thing happened last year as Poland clinched a BJK Cup Finals ticket but the former world No. 1 wasn't present.
Swiatek makes a U-Turn after the latest team changes
Since losing in the US Open quarterfinal, the five-time Slam champion hasn't appeared in any tournaments but she was still active after splitting with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and Wim Fissette to her team. With Naomi Osaka's former coach on board, Swiatek is now set to play two tournaments before the season ends.
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"I'm happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team. As you know, I'm preparing for the WTA Finals but my perspective is, as always, long-term, not short-term. I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint and I'm working, operating and making decisions with this approach. I want to say that I'm very excited and looking forward to working with Wim. He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis. It's always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we're off to a good start and I can't wait to compete soon," the 23-year-old announced on Instagram last week.
For Swiatek and Fissette, the perfect scenario would be the Pole doing well in those two tournaments and finishing this up and down year in positive spirits.
