At the beginning of October, Świątek ended her nearly three-year collaboration with Tomasz Wiktorowski. Their partnership proved to be very successful, with the tennis player winning four Grand Slam tournaments, practically dominating women’s tennis, holding the number one ranking for over 120 weeks, and still being the top player today. The culmination of this cooperation was an Olympic bronze medal in Paris. However, the Polish star wants to take another step in her career, choosing to work with a foreign coach.
Here’s Świątek's New Coach
Iga Świątek's new coach is Wim Fissette. As Paula Wolecka noted in a statement, the Belgian coach is highly experienced, having developed several top-ranked players. Among the athletes he has worked with are Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber, Qinwen Zheng, and Naomi Osaka, whom he coached until mid-September this year.
The Polish tennis player is already training under the watchful eye of the experienced Belgian. Their first tournament together will be the WTA Finals in Riyadh this year, marking Świątek's first appearance since the US Open.
"This week, Iga Świątek decided to start working with a new coach, Wim Fissette. The Belgian has extensive experience at the global level, having worked with many acclaimed players, Grand Slam champions, and former world number ones, including Kim Clijsters and Naomi Osaka. Iga and Wim have already begun preparations for the WTA Finals, alongside physiotherapist and conditioning coach Maciej Ryszczuk, psychologist Daria Abramowicz, and sparring partner Tomasz Moczek," said Paula Wolecka.
This confirms the report by Sport.pl journalist Łukasz Jachimiak, who was the first to suggest that Fissette was the leading candidate to work with Świątek.
Both the player and her new coach are very optimistic about the prospect of a long-term collaboration and are openly excited about it.
"As you know, I'm preparing for the WTA Finals right now, but my perspective on my career is always long-term, never short-sighted... I've said many times that my career is a marathon, not a sprint, and I act, work, and make decisions with that mindset. I'm excited to work with Wim. I see in him a very good approach, a vision, and the added bonus of his vast experience at the highest level in tennis. Of course, it's always important to get to know each other better, but we've had a great start to our relationship, and I'm looking forward to getting back to competing," Świątek said.
Fissette has known Świątek for several years, having had the opportunity to observe her progress and the explosion of her potential. "I'm very excited to work with Iga and join her team of experts. I first met her in 2018 when she won the Junior Wimbledon, and my player at the time, Angelique Kerber, won the senior title. Since that evening, I’ve been watching Iga’s development, and I’ve also had the pleasure of sharing the court with her during training sessions with players I’ve worked with, as well as in many intense matches. Iga is a role model for many players thanks to her constant intensity and focus on her work. I’m very much looking forward to this partnership, hoping that we’ll both improve and work toward fulfilling our sporting dreams. Let’s go, Iga!" said the Belgian.
The WTA Finals in Riyadh will take place from November 2-9. Świątek will be aiming to win the final tournament for the second consecutive year and finish the season as the WTA world number one for the third year in a row. On October 28, just before the tournament, she will lose her top ranking to Aryna Sabalenka, so she will be on the attack in Riyadh.
