World number two Iga Swiatek has pulled out of the upcoming Billie Jean King Cup qualifying tournament in her home country of Poland, she said on social media yesterday.
The 23-year-old said that she needed more time to focus on herself and would not be playing for the national team against Switzerland and Ukraine on April 10-12 in the city of Radom.
“I know that this is not the information that fans, especially Polish ones, wanted, nevertheless it is the right decision for me for now,” she said.
“Now it’s time for more balance, focusing on myself and my training. I keep my fingers crossed for the girls and the whole team.”
The five-time Grand Slam champion was recently eliminated from the Miami Open in the quarter-finals by 19-year-old Alexandra Eala from the Philippines.
Swiatek was playing the match with added security after being verbally abused by a spectator during an earlier practice session.
Britain’s Jones says altitude sickness led to collapseBriton Francesca Jones said playing in Bogota without acclimatising to the high altitude led to her collapse mid-serve at the Colsanitas Cup, where she was taken off court in a wheelchair.
Jones, 24, was losing 6-2 5-7 5-3 to Argentina’s Julia Riera when the Briton suddenly staggered after tossing the ball up to serve before collapsing on the court as tournament officials rushed to her side.
Bogota is over 2,600 metres (8,500 feet) above sea level and can cause altitude sickness.
“After winning the event in Brazil on Sunday, our total trip took over 24 hours, with minimal rest and recovery from a long week. Bogota is renowned for its altitude and often takes a few days to adapt,” Jones said on Instagram yesterday. Jones added that she had been unable to practise before her match due to rain. “As the match went on, I worked hard to give myself the opportunity to stay competitive while trying to get used to the conditions but progressively struggled; blurry vision eventually leading to collapsing, with no cramp having occurred.”
Jones said they conducted multiple tests which concluded her “heart worked a little too hard” but that there was no long-term impact on her health.
Serena and husband bid
on NFL flag football ventureRetired tennis great Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, have submitted a bid as potential investors to the NFL’s planned pro flag football men’s and women’s leagues, Front Office Sports reported.
A league spokesperson confirmed the bid to the league’s request for proposal. The bid comes on the heels of Williams’ attendance at the NFL owners meetings last week as part of a panel conversation on women’s sports.
FOS reported that the NFL is looking to invest in the leagues but have other partners operate them. The NFL eyes selling media rights for the leagues once they’re operational. Ten companies so far have approached the NFL about investing in the venture, per Sports Business Journal.
“It’s clear that there’s a lot of interest in a pro flag league,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters. “We’ve been getting bids on people who want to invest in that either financially or invest in the operations of that. So, we’re hard at work, and I expect there’ll be progress soon.”
