Iga Swiatek’s scheduling request at the Australian Open was recently denied. Opening up about the matter, former American World No.1 Jim Courier revealed why the Grand Slam ignored the Pole’s preference.
Swiatek has enjoyed a comfortable campaign in Melbourne so far. The second seed’s opening round matches saw her take down Yue Yuan and Marie Bouzkova in straight sets, before she battled past Anna Kalinskaya in the third-round. Up next, the 24-year-old will go up against Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, and while Swiatek wanted a day slot for the encounter, she has been scheduled to play in the night instead.
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In a discussion with Tennis Channel, Jim Courier recently revealed why Iga Swiatek’s preference was overlooked, saying,
“Scheduling is always a hot topic and yesterday’s scheduling meeting went exceptionally long. There was a massive battle because Swiatek wanted a day match and the Australian network desperately wanted to have an Australian playing in prime time, that’s what they pay the big money for. It was a long, drawn out battle, I can tell you. It went to the wire and eventually Channel Nine got what they wanted, what the tournament also wants, and Iga didn’t get what she wanted.”
While Swiatek’s scheduling request for her fourth-round match was overlooked, the Pole will likely have to continue playing in the night slot if she goes deeper into the tournament and the experience from her battle against Inglis might prove to be useful in later matches.
Iga Swiatek gets honest about her upcoming clash against Maddison Inglis
The Australian Open brings with it a roaring audience and Iga Swiatek will be on the opposite end of the cheering when she takes on home player Maddison Inglis for her fourth-round encounter at the Grand Slam. As she gears up for the match, the Pole revealed that she and her coach will be analysing Australian’s game, telling media,
“For sure I need to prepare tactically and Wim will watch, I will maybe watch a little bit as well because it’s not often where I play someone I don’t really know that well. She has a great run and she didn’t play today so she’s going to be fresh and I gotta go for it.”
Iga Swiatek and Maddison Inglis previously competed against each other at the Adelaide International in 2021. Back then, Swiatek claimed a straight sets win over Inglis and the World No.2 will be eager to repeat that result on Monday.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya
