Iga Swiatek ends 2026 season after thigh injury halts WTA Finals bid

Iga Swiatek has ended her 2026 season after withdrawing from the Ningbo Open with a left thigh injury, bringing her bid for a place at the WTA Finals to an end. The six-time Grand Slam champion announced on Tuesday that she would take an extended break to recover before returning to competition next year.

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The WTA reported that Swiatek had been dealing with the thigh problem for several weeks. It also affected her during her defeat by fellow Pole Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open semi-finals. Swiatek had been seeded second in Ningbo, where alternate Anastasia Zakharova replaced her in the draw following the withdrawal.

The decision ends a run of appearances at every edition of the WTA Finals since 2021. According to Reuters, Swiatek needed to reach at least the quarter-finals in Ningbo to retain any chance of overtaking Karolina Muchova for the final qualifying place. Swiatek won the season-ending championship in 2023, but will not take part this year.

Swiatek, 25, is ninth in the world rankings and finishes the campaign with one tour title, secured at the Canadian Open in Toronto in August. She did not win a Grand Slam tournament this season, with her most recent major title remaining Wimbledon in 2025. BBC Sport reported that this is her first season without a major trophy since 2021.

There were also changes to her coaching team during the year. BBC Sport reported that Swiatek parted with Wim Fissette in March before appointing Francisco Roig, who previously worked with Rafael Nadal and Emma Raducanu. The Toronto title followed later in the season, with Swiatek beating Elena Rybakina in the final to claim her lone WTA trophy of 2026.

In the announcement reproduced by the WTA, Swiatek described a difficult year but expressed satisfaction with the work and progress made during its second half. She said the intensity of recent months and years had led her to prioritise a longer period of rest and full physical recovery. Her announcement ruled out any further tournament appearances before the end of the year.