By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) – Dealing with periods can be difficult for professional athletes, but experience and advances in medicine and technology can provide solutions, world number one Iga Swiatek said on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old is the second player to address the issue at the French Open after Chinese teenager Zheng Qinwen said following her fourth-round loss to Swiatek on Monday that she had suffered menstrual cramps.
“At the beginning of the careers it’s sometimes very tricky to manage that properly,” Swiatek said following her win over Jessica Pegula to reach the French Open last four.
“But when you get the experience and actually find some solutions, that may help you. It’s easier later.”
“I think we have a pretty comfortable situation because, health care and technology, the medicine technology went up… level went up, so it’s probably easier for us to choose the proper solution than it was like 15 years ago,” she said.
Zheng had said she had no pain during the opening set but took a medical time out at 3-0 down in the second, having her back massaged on court before going to the locker room and returning with her right thigh strapped.
Swiatek, the top seed in Paris, praised Zheng for speaking up about the issue.
“You don’t have to speak about it, but it’s pretty nice that they’re doing that because we are facing those problems,” she said.
“And it’s cool that she’s honest. But it’s up to every player if they want to talk about that or not,” she added.
“I think she (Zheng) has to just find a way to deal with that so it’s not going to influence her performance.”
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
