World No 1 Iga Swiatek has decided to work with new Belgian coach Wim Fissette, and their first event together will be at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where the 23-year old Pole is the defending champion.
I want to say that I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim [Fissette]. He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis. It’s always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we’re off to a good start and I can’t wait to compete soon. Iga Świątek
Swiatek’s announcement came soon after her split with previous coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, marking the beginning of a new era for the 5-time Grand Slam champion, who is working with a non-Polish coach for the first time in her career.
Posting on social media on Thursday, Swiatek revealed that she and Fissette have concluded talks and decided to work together, giving special emphasis to his experience at the top level as one of the reasons she thought he was a good fit for her team.
“I’m happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team,” Swiatek posted on social media. “As you know, I’m preparing for the WTA Finals but my perspective is, as always, long-term, not short-term. I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint and I’m working, operating and making decisions with this approach.
“I want to say that I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim,” she added. “He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis. It’s always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we’re off to a good start and I can’t wait to compete soon.”
The news comes 2 weeks after the end of her 3-year partnership with Wiktorowski, with whom she had worked since the end of 2021, a period during which Swiatek won 4 of her 5 Grand Slam titles, and ascended to World No.1 for the first time.
Prior to Wiktorowski, Swiatek had been coached by Piotr Sierzputowski since 2016.
Coach Wim Fissette has worked with 6 former World No 1s and is well respected on the WTA Tour
© Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images
Fissette is among the biggest names in the WTA coaching world, and has previously worked with Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka, all former World No 1s.
The 44-year-old Belgian coached Osaka in matches against Swiatek twice, in the 2022 Miami final, which the Japanese lost, 6-4 6-0, and the second at Roland Garros in the 2nd-round earlier this year, which Osaka also lost, 7-6(1) 1-6 7-5, from match point up.
Osaka announced the end of their 4-year collaboration in September.
After Swiatek’s announcement, Fissette’s wife, Jasmien Clijsner, took to Instagram to share the news, also expressing how proud she was to see her husband partner with the top-ranked women’s tennis player in the world.
“Wim coaching #1 Swiatek. Extremely proud family in here,” she added in a caption.
The 2024 WTA Finals begin in the first week of November, and Swiatek will face a tough challenge competing against Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Barbora Krejcikova, Elena Rybakina, Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula and Zheng Qinwen at the season-ending championships, particularly since the Pole has not competed since her quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open, and her World No 1 ranking is again under threat from Sabalenka over the coming weeks.
Sabalenka and Krejcikova are reigning Grand Slam champions, with the former winning the Australian Open and the US Open, and the latter winning Wimbledon.
The other Major of the year, the French Open, was won by Swiatek, while Zheng took home the Olympic Gold medal in Paris.
The partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski brought Iga Swiatek much success but the World No 1 is looking for change, and the parting of ways was a mutual decision
© Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Meanwhile Wiktorowski has insisted that his split with Swiatekr was done ‘respectfully’ after reports that he instigated the move to end their partnership.
The 43-year-old joined her team at the end of 2021, and they enjoyed significant success together, as Swiatek became the World No 1 for the first time in April 2022, and went on an incredible 37-match winning streak, lifting the French Open for a second time, and claiming a maiden US Open title in 2022.
The Pole won two more French Open crowns with Wiktorowski by her side, while she also became just the 7th player to record multiple 50-week stints at No 1, despite still being just 23.
A report from Portal i.pl, though, claimed Wiktorowski had instigated the move and that Swiatek’s psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, was one of the reasons he decided to stop working with the 4-time French Open champion.
Wiktorowski, who also worked with Agnieszka Radwanska from 2011 to 2018, told Przeglad Sportowy that the rumours were fake news, and that Swiatek’s announcement explained the situation.
“There have been a lot of speculations and insinuations… Definitely too much, considering that the message that was issued very precisely defines our decision,” he said. “It is enough to read it with understanding, not with the intention of looking for sensation. Our end of cooperation was done with respect for both parties and no fake news will change that.
“I think that, in general, we had a very good relationship in the team,” Wiktorowski added. “During three years of intensive cooperation, it is impossible to avoid difficult situations, but even then, we always found a way to reach an agreement and get back on track.
“Iga, and everything related to the preparation of a player at the highest level, have always been a priority for us. It was simply a necessity. We have never made sudden and, above all, ill-considered decisions.”
