Amid Rising Uncertainty, Iga Swiatek Aims to Shine with Coach Wim Fissette in First Public Partnership at WTA Finals in Riyadh

After a turbulent time off the court, things finally look settled for Iga Swiatek after the arrival of her new coach, Wim Fissette. However, it wasn’t without drama that she ended her partnership with her ex-coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, abruptly. Swiatek wasn’t having the best of times on the court after her French Open win and struggled on the grass courts and the hard courts. As a result, she decided to bring an experienced foreign coach and shared the first glimpse with him on social media recently.

Swaitek has already made her way to Riyadh to play in the WTA Finals. The year-ending championships, which begins on November 2, will see the Polish step out to defend her title. The four-time French Open champion has already begun her preparations for the mega event and was seen engrossed in a lengthy practice session today.

The former World Number 1 took to her official Instagram handle and shared a series of pictures from her training session. In one of those pictures, she gave a first glimpse of her time with her new coach, Wim Fissette, as the two were captured in smiling poses. Additionally, Swiatek’s psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, was also in the frame alongside Tomek Moczek, Swiatek’s hitting partner. Further, Swiatek also shared glimpses of her time on the court as she looks to make it big in Riyadh.

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Despite Swiatek linking with a top coach, there have been growing doubts if the partnership would reap success. Many in the tennis world have spoken against the pairing of Swiatek and Fissette, with renowned journalist, Krzysztof Rawa, highlighting the cons. He said, “I read in one of the articles that Wim Fissette is very different from Tomasz Wiktorowski. Well, I think the opposite – that he is a very similar coach. Fissette is also a kind of “laptop coach”. And this makes me have mixed feelings.”

While many might be doubting the decision of Swiatek to hire Fissette, the Polish star is confident of her new partnership. She highlighted what Fissette would bring to the table.

Iga Swiatek on her new coach: ‘Seems to have a great attitude’

While Swiatek succeeded on clay under Wiktorowski, her struggles were quite evident on the hard and grass courts throughout their partnership. However, Swiatek is looking to change that and is hopeful about the impact that Fissette would have on her game. Further, she highlighted some important qualities of Fissette that inclined her to hire him.

She said, “I want to say that I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim. 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.”

It has been more than a month since we last saw Swiatek play in a tour level event. Her last appearance was at the US Open where she lost in the quarterfinals. With the WTA Finals fast approaching, can she come back strongly and end her year on a high? Let us know our views in the comments below.