Iga Swiatek brought the curtain down on WTA season last week.
After suffering an injury ahead of the Ningbo Open, Swiatek decided enough was enough and called time on her campaign.
“This has been one of the most demanding seasons of my career, with a lot of challenges, changes and lessons along the way,” the Polish star wrote on social media.
It was certainly a tumultuous campaign for the Pole, who changed coaches, suffered a multitude of early exits at significant WTA events, won another WTA 1000 title and failed to qualify for the WTA Finals for the first time since 2020.
Rennae Stubbs, Serena Williams’ coach and a former world number one in doubles, has expressed her support for Swiatek’s decision.
Rennae Stubbs backs Iga Swiatek’s decision to end her season early
“I think this is probably a good move for her,” the Australian coach said on The Rennae Stubbs Podcast. “It has been an unbelievably up and down and all over the shop year for her.
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“So I think this might actually be a massive bonus for her to shut down her season earlier than she would have normally and certainly earlier than she has for many years.
“I think it might be an underlying given that this is a good thing for her. Maybe if she is going to stick with this coaching situation that she has got now.
“She can go away and work on the game that she felt that under Wim Fisette dove and plummeted. She lost a lot of confidence, maybe she is starting to get it back slightly but it’s still not great. I think it’s a good thing for her.”
One factor that may have played into Swiatek’s decision-making process is the small number of ranking points she will lose between now and the end of 2026.
The Polish star collected precisely 200 ranking points at the end of last year after winning only one match at the WTA Finals.
As a result, Swiatek’s ranking will likely be largely unaffected between now and the end of this season.
| WTA Rankings | Points |
| 1. Elena Rybakina | 9,501 |
| 2. Aryna Sabalenka | 7,550 |
| 3. Mirra Andreeva | 6,306 |
| 4. Jessica Pegula | 6,225 |
| 5. Coco Gauff | 5,973 |
| 6. Elina Svitolina | 5,229 |
| 7. Karolina Muchova | 4,725 |
| 8. Iga Swiatek (+1) | 4,389 |
| 9. Linda Noskova (-1) | 4,353 |
| 10. Marta Kostyuk | 3,920 |
Iga Swiatek’s next tennis event
Swiatek’s season may be over, but that does not mean that she will stop playing tennis.
Swiatek and a collection of WTA superstars will take part in the Hyundai Card THE SIX tennis exhibition in Seoul, South Korea, from December 25 to 27.
Players competing in the Hyundai Card THE SIX tennis exhibition
- Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
- Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan)
- Iga Swiatek (Poland)
- Naomi Osaka (Japan)
- Mirra Andreeva (Russia)
- Jasmine Paolini (Italy)
The event will be held at the Inspire Arena in Yeongjong Island, Incheon and the prize money on offer at the event reportedly totals $1.1 million.
Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka will receive automatic byes to the semi-finals. Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, and Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini will begin the exhibition in the quarter-finals.
