Iga Swiatek takes a jibe at Madrid Open scheduling after runner-up finish

Iga Swiatek spoke about the Madrid Open scheduling in her runner-up speech at the Estadio Manolo Santana on Saturday. The World No. 1 lost 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 to Aryna Sabalenka in the final clash, for her first claycourt defeat of the season.

During her runner-up speech, Swiatek first congratulated Sabalenka on her win and said that the Belarusian deserved the win. She also expressed her desire to play many more finals against Sabalenka.

“Hi guys. Sorry for no Spanish. I’m not on that level. You don’t want to hear that. Congrats Aryna, you always play such intense tennis, you definitely deserve it. We both have had great seasons so hopefully we’re going to play more finals against each other," Iga Swiatek said.

The Pole proceeded to thank her team and family, before thanking the fans. She then stated that while she was glad to play in Madrid, it wasn't "fun" for her to play at 1 am in the night.

"I want to thank my team. We had a pretty amazing two-and-a-half weeks. Coming back from injury and playing so solid, it's also because of you guys, so thank you. Thank you to my family as well," Swiatek said.

"It's a beautiful city and it's a pleasure to play in front of you guys. It’s not fun to play at 1 am though, so I’m happy anyway that I was able to get past this experience and survive and be in the final. So, thank you for your support and for your energy, it really meant a lot. See you next year," the World No. 1 added.

Swiatek's comment came in the wake of the inconvenient scheduling of many women's matches at this year's edition of the Madrid Open. Some of the players started their matches after 10 pm local time, which meant they stood the risk of playing well past midnight.

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Iga Swiatek has won 25 out of 30 matches so far in 2023

Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka after their final in Madrid

The defeat to Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open final was Iga Swiatek's fifth of the 2023 season. She now has 25 wins out of 30 matches so far.

The Pole has won two titles this season, the Qatar Open in Doha and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. She is next scheduled to play the italian Open in Rome.

Swiatek has won the last two editions of the WTA 1000 tournament and will be eager to become only the fourth player in history to win it three consecutive years.