Agnieszka Radwanska has told reporters in Singapore that she would like to see the WTA Calendar reduced after suffering a duo of losses in the WTA Finals.
Speaking shortly after her second defeat of the week to US Open champion Flavia Pennetta. Radwanska said that she was feeling ‘a little bit tired’ during the match. The WTA Finals come at the end of the 10-month WTA Tour calendar. Radwanska is playing in her 24th tournament this week (not counting the Fed Cup). Talking about the WTA Finals, she discussed the quick turnaround that is required for players who have qualified for the tournament at the last minute.
“Sometimes you qualified many weeks before; sometimes it’s just 24 hours. So I think that’s what makes a huge difference”. Radwanska said.
“I was playing all those weeks in a row and so many matches. And that’s my decision, my choice. I really wanted to be here”.
Radwanska qualified for the tournament on October 18th after claiming her second title of 2015 at the Tianjin Open. The new CEO of the WTA, Steve Simon, has recently hinted that he is looking into trimming the WTA calendar. Simon has spoken of a ‘fundamental change’ to the tour, which may upset some tournaments traditions and investments.
”We will consult with players to improve the schedule to protect their health and keep the tour a ‘premium product’ for tennis fans,” Simon recent said in Singapore.
The recent announcement has been welcomed by the world No.6, who agreed that the calendar can be trimmed by a little bit. Radwanska did not say how she thinks it could be trimmed, but said that it is important for players to have time off between tournaments. The 26-year-old also discussed the troubles faced by players regarding planning their schedule for the upcoming season.
“It’s really hard sometimes to make a decision for the whole season when you are going to play, because you never know how you going to do and what you going to play in the end”. She said.
Leading up to the year-end finals, Radwanska has played 71 matches this year, winning 48 of them. This figure does not include Fed Cup matches or exhibition tournaments such as the Hopman Cup in January.
The world No.6 could be eliminated from this year’s WTA Finals if top seed Simona Halep defeats Maria Sharapova on Tuesday.
