King calls for schedule clarity ahead BJK Cup Finals

Scheduling concerns will keep some of the top women's players from competing at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November and the tournament's namesake said on Wednesday that the calendar needs a rethink.

The showpiece women's team event, featuring 12 nations and a prize money purse of US$9 million, will take place from Nov 7-12 in Seville, Spain and begins two days after the conclusion of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico.

As a result, Poland's Iga Swiatek is skipping the Billie Jean King Cup Finals for the second consecutive year while US Open champion Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, the two highest-ranked American players, were absent from the US team roster.

When Swiatek pulled out in 2022 due to a short rest period after the WTA Finals she said the "situation is not safe for our health" and hit out at tennis' governing bodies for the sport's packed schedule.

The location for this year's WTA Finals was only announced in September and King feels determining the tournament site so close to the start date hurts the sport.

"I put my player's cap on and I go, 'I kind of want to know the schedule ahead of time, not keep waiting to know when any of the tournaments are going to happen,'" King told a virtual media session ahead of the Seville event.

"Can you imagine if a major didn't know their dates? I mean, it's like no, we got to know dates, got to get that organised.

"It's in the best interest of our whole sport and it's really important that everyone in tennis really think about the sport and what's best for it and for the audience and for the people who care about it."

King said she was unsure how many discussions have gone on regarding the crowded schedule but feels the governing bodies of international tennis should try to