Iga Swiatek has officially announced that she has hired Belgian coach Wim Fissette, who recently ended his collaboration with Naomi Osaka, with the Japanese now being coached by Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou. The Polish 5-time Grand Slam winner recently parted ways with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, who has coached her for the past three seasons.
Swiatek, who has not played since the US Open and missed the entire trip to China, said she is happy to collaborate with Wim Fissette, who has previously coached Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep, among others.
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"I have some news for you today. I have to say that I am excited and motivated to start a new chapter in my career. I am happy to announce that Wim Fissette will be joining our team. As you know, I am preparing for the WTA Finals, but this is a long-term choice, not a short-term one. I have said many times that my career is a marathon, not a sprint, and I am working and making decisions with that in mind. I am very excited to work with Wim. He has a great knowledge of the game and a lot of experience at the highest level of tennis. We need to get to know each other better, but we are off to a good start and I can't wait to get back on the court and play," she wrote.
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Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka has moved significantly closer to Swiatek in the WTA rankings, and the WTA ranking lead and the year-end number 1 title will also be up for grabs at the Finals. So Iga has decided to change the status quo, which sees her dominant on clay courts and suffering on other surfaces. Swiatek, after her triumph at the 2022 US Open, is suffering a worrying involution on hard courts, without considering how her tennis adapts poorly to the short but prestigious grass swing.
With Fissette, the WTA No.1 hopes to be able to change something on fast surfaces. To be considered the true ruler of the WTA Tour, it is not enough to play divine tennis for two months, those of the clay swing, but you have to be competitive on all surfaces. Sabalenka is finding continuity not only on hard courts - the surface that by characteristics suits her tennis - but has also shown improvements on clay.
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This is why Swiatek will need -together with Fissette -to push herself into the unexplored worldof tactical variations outside her comfort zone, to be able to ascend to the role of tennis legend.
The message which Swiatek has officially ended her partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski
As mentioned, the surprise announcement was made by the world number 1 herself through a post shared on social media.
"After 3 years full of great successes, we have decided to part ways. I want to start with a big thank you and appreciation for the work done together. Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I was in dire need of changes and a new approach to my game. His experience, his analytical and strategic attitude and his huge knowledge of tennis helped us achieve things I would never have dreamed of just a few months after we started working together.
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Our main goal was the top of the rankings and he was the first to say it and believe in it. We aimed very high, we went to each tournament with a clear goal: to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments, including 4 Slams. All this was possible thanks to the whole team, with my fitness trainer and physiotherapist Maciej Ryszczuk and my psychologist Daria Abramowicz. Thank you coach, I wish you all the best.
I know that you would like to rest after these 3 years of hard work and travel, spending some time of well-deserved time with your loved ones. I hope you will get what you need. Due to this important change in my team, I am giving myself a couple of weeks to start working with a new coach. I am in the middle of the first talks with foreign non-Polish coaches, because I am ready to take the next step in my career. I will let you know when I have made a decision," wrote the Polish playerto her fans.
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