The Billie Jean King Cup has always known to be a prestigious competition but this year edition hosted in Seville, Spain, would be without the world’s top eight players, including Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and World no.4 Jessica Pegula for the first time since the inception of the tournament in 1963.
Iga Swiatek, who was then ranked No. 1, skipped last year’s Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow, Scotland, because of a similar scheduling situation. Coco Gauff announced Sunday she was withdrawing from this week’s Zhengzhou Open tournament in China because of a shoulder injury sustained during her loss to Swiatek at the China Open semifinals last week.
Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek to miss 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals
The Billie Jean King Cup Finals will not feature the world’s top eight singles players, including Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. Similarly, the world’s top eight doubles pairings will conclude their campaign at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. The season-ending event is scheduled from October 30 to November 5 at Plaza Quintana Roo. Subsequently, the Billie Jean King Cup is set to commence on November 7 in Seville, Spain. This tight schedule means that players who reach the latter stages of the WTA Finals won’t have much time in between the two tournaments.
This revised version clarifies the sequence of events and provides a smoother flow of information.
Swiatek’s decision didn’t come as a surprise as she also missed last year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals due to poor scheduling. Poland has been handed a wildcard and will face Canada and Spain in Group C. “I was thinking it through a lot and discussing it with my team all over again, but I will not be able to play at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow. And it makes me sad,” Swiatek said.
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“I’m very sorry, because I play for Poland whenever it’s possible and I always give it my best. Playing in Poland this year was an honour and I hoped to do this again at the end of the season. I’m disappointed that tennis governing bodies didn’t come to an agreement on something as basic as the calendar of tournaments, giving us only one day to travel through the globe and changing the time zone,” Swiatek added.
Coco Gauff announced Sunday she was withdrawing from this week’s Zhengzhou Open tournament in China because of a shoulder injury that bothered her during a loss to Swiatek at the China Open semifinals last week. Swiatek won that tournament Sunday for her fifth title of the year.
Who are going to represent United States in the 2023 BJK Cup Finals?
Since US are without their star player Coco Gauff the US team captain Kathy Rinaldi has named the likes of Danielle Collins, Sofia Kenin, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend to represent the U.S. at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, from Nov. 7-12 in Seville, Spain.
Rinaldi has led the U.S. to an 11-5 record in ties, including the 2017 championship, the 2018 Finals and the 2021 semifinals. The U.S. boasts a record 18 titles in the competition all-time. The U.S. was drawn into Group A and will play defending champions Switzerland and the Czech Republic with hopes of advancing to the knockout rounds. Rinaldi has led U.S. to an 11-5 record in ties, including the 2017 championship, the 2018 Finals, and the 2021 semifinals. The U.S. boasts a record 18 titles in the competition all-time. In the upcoming tournament, the U.S. was drawn into Group A and will face defending champions Switzerland and the Czech Republic, aiming to advance to the knockout rounds.
