Swiatek won the French Open earlier this year, her fourth Roland Garros title, and fifth Major trophy.

Many had expected her to complete the double in Paris by winning Olympic gold soon after, but Swiatek lost to Qinwen Zheng, eventually coming home with a bronze medal.

The Pole had won an astonishing four WTA 1000 titles in the first half of the season, giving her a comfortable gap at the top of the world rankings.

However, the second part of the season was tougher for the 23-year-old, who struggled for form as Aryna Sabalenka replaced Swiatek as world number one.

Swiatek had looked to get back on track in Saudi Arabia at the WTA Finals, knowing that a win could potentially see her return to the number one spot.

Unfortunately for the Pole, defeat against Coco Gauff, saw Swiatek exit the tournament despite scoring wins over Barbora Krejcikova and Daria Kasatkina.

A tournament which has come under fire over the past week due to some very low attendances.

Iga Swiatek gives her verdict on the crowds at the WTA Finals

The first WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia have come under a lot of criticism this week for the lack of fans attending the event.

Many have made their opinion heard on the matter, and Elena Rybakina gave her thoughts on the WTA Finals crowds recently.

Swiatek was asked for her thoughts on the atmosphere after her final group stage game against Kasatkina.

“I think today was the loudest day in the stadium because of the Polish fans, I’m happy they came,” she said.

“The stadium still wasn’t quite full but we will see how it’s going to be in the semis and the final, because this will be the weekend here, so that will be the final kind of test.

The 23-year-old went on to say that she is happy to play regardless of attendances.

“For now I am happy that we can play here anyway, no matter if the stadium is full or not and I am happy with the Polish supporters that came because for sure it’s important,” said Swiatek.

What is going wrong with the WTA Finals?

The issues in Saudi Arabia unfortunately aren’t a first for the WTA Finals, as the last five years have been plagued with issues at the final tournament of the year.

Just one of the past five editions of the event have gone by without a real problem, as the year-end championships have had a rough few years.

Some have argued that the event should be moved back to Europe, with the two top players on the WTA Tour coming from the continent.

The tournament last took place in Europe 11 years ago when Istanbul hosted the event.

There had been rumors of the WTA Finals being moved to Prague, home of Czech two-time Grand Slam winner, Krejcikova, but the move wasn’t to be.

Saudi Arabia have signed a three year deal to host the event, and it remains to be seen whether attendances will grow for 2025 and 2026.

The semi-finals of the WTA Finals begin on Friday with Zheng taking on Krejcikova and Coco Gauff facing off against Sabalenka.

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