Iga Swiatek has decided not to play for Poland at the United Cup and will begin her new tennis season in Brisbane instead.
The decision marks the first time in five years that the world number nine will not compete in the United Cup, which has served as her regular season opener and sole preparation tournament ahead of the Australian Open.
Swiatek will instead enter the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) 500 event in Brisbane. World number two Aryna Sabalenka won the last two editions of the Brisbane tournament, following a victory by world number one Elena Rybakina the year before.
Schedule change for Brisbane
Her coach, Francisco Roig, explained the decision in an interview with Polish publication Przeglad Sportowy Onet. Roig said that he and Swiatek decided together that she will begin the new season at the tournament in Brisbane, guided primarily by their preparation plan and competition calendar, particularly in the context of the Australian Open.
The Spanish coach also stressed the importance of national team competitions to his player. Roig said he knows how much playing in the United Cup in recent years meant to Swiatek, adding that representing Poland has always been and remains very important to her.
Swiatek and the rest of the Polish team finally won the United Cup this year after finishing second in the previous two editions. Winning that team title may also have influenced her decision to adjust her schedule for the upcoming season.
Difficult season and ranking drop
The calendar change follows an individual season that proved disappointing by Swiatek's standards. She did not win a Grand Slam title, marking the first year since 2021 that she finished without a major trophy, and ended the campaign with only one tournament victory, in Toronto.
Those results caused Swiatek to drop to ninth in the WTA world rankings, her lowest position since February 2022. She also failed to qualify for the year-end WTA Finals, ending a continuous run in the championship that began in 2021.
Swiatek brought her season to an early close after competing at the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan in October. The break allows her to recover from injuries, rest, and train calmly under Roig, the Spanish coach who previously spent many years working alongside Rafael Nadal.
Career Grand Slam target in Melbourne
More time on the practice court with Roig may bring the results Swiatek is targeting after a challenging year. Whether that work pays off will become clear once she begins competing in Australia.
Her major goal during the Australian swing will be completing a Career Grand Slam. To achieve that feat, the Polish star needs a championship victory at Melbourne Park in the Australian Open.
