Iga Swiatek has not been afraid to speak her mind on the tennis calendar, arguably representing one of its biggest critics.

The Pole exclaimed that players were playing too many tournaments back in 2024, with Swiatek labelling the schedule “crazy” in 2025. She certainly isn’t the only player across the WTA and ATP tours to have that opinion, but she has been one of the most outspoken figures about the issue.

However, the six-time Grand Slam champion has now left herself wide open to criticism following her latest scheduling decision. It’s an intriguing decision to say the least, from a player who clearly has a major problem with the current tennis calendar.

Iga Swiatek open to criticism after committing to Seoul exhibition

In a bold move from the Pole, Swiatek is set to take part in a six-player WTA exhibition in December. Billed as ‘The Six – The Christmas, Only in Seoul’, she will be joined by fellow superstars Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Naomi Osaka and Jasmine Paolini.

Incheon’s Inspire Resort Arena will play host, with the tournament remarkably taking place from December 25-27. Playing throughout Christmas is an intriguing concept, but more significant is the slight sense of hypocrisy from Swiatek given her complaints about the calendar.

It is certainly understandable from a financial and sponsor perspective, but adding a non-ranking event to her busy schedule doesn’t make a lot of sense. Incidentally, she has just committed to another tournament in October, making her debut at the WTA 500 Ningbo Open.

Player complaints are at times fully justified considering the relentless nature of the calendar and the mandatory appearances in particular, with injuries seemingly on the rise across men’s and women’s tennis. Just now, Amanda Anisimova withdrew from the Singapore Open with a wrist issue, while Barbora Krejcikova has pulled out with a lower back injury.

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And while WTA and ATP stars are afforded very little time to rest and recover after a busy campaign, they often don’t do themselves any favours. Men’s ace Carlos Alcaraz has gone down a very similar route to Swiatek in recent times, having complained about the calendar but at the same time playing in events such as the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia, where huge prize money is on offer.

Of course, Swiatek could look to use the mirroring event in Seoul as a warm-up for her 2027 season, but it could work against her and bring unwanted fatigue ahead of the Australian Open. Notably, however, she may have one less event in her 2026 calendar if she fails to qualify for the WTA Finals, with the former world number one currently 10th in the Race to Indian Wells.