Wim Fissette provided the reason why Iga Swiatek did not train before facing Daria Kasatkina at the WTA Finals.
This makes the Pole’s latest victory all the more remarkable, as she claimed a 6-0, 6-1 win against the Russian in just 51 minutes.
She ended the group stage with a second win after her first came against Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejčíková in three sets.
But following Coco Gauff‘s defeat to the Czech player in the final round robin match, Swiatek has been eliminated from the WTA Finals. She will now turn her attention to the Billie Jean King Cup finals, which commences November 13.
Why didn’t Iga Swiatek train before facing Daria Kasatkina at the WTA Finals?
On Thursday Iga Swiatek recorded the fastest victory at the WTA Finals in at least eight years. The World number two claimed 51 of the contest’s 74 points and broke her opponent’s five out of six times.
The Pole was in mood to mess around against Kasatkina, who replaced the injured Jessica Pegula for the final group match.
During an interview on Sky Sports Swiatek’s coach Wim Fissette confirmed that she did not train before facing Kasatkina, which further highlights the French Open champion’s brilliance.
“She is being monitored a lot by her team and trainer. They look at numbers in the morning and how she is recovering,” the Belgian said.
“The trainer decided that her numbers were not great yesterday and a day of recovery would help her more to be at her best today.
“It comes from previous experience. He told me the day after she beat Naomi in Paris this year they also did the same.”
What does Wim Fissette want to see Iga Swiatek improve?
Fissette became Swiatek’s coach three weeks ago and shortly after she split with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
He is still learning about the Pole and her game and while he continues to make observations, Fissette already has a good idea of what he wants the Olympic bronze medalist to improve.
“Her serve, it’s clear there is room for improvement but I also think the forehand can be heavier and faster and we can add elements of variation to her game,” he said.
“For sure our goal is to do better on the faster services, if we can improve the serve a bit.
“She tries to play faster than her opponent which is not really her game, so she should stay true to herself on the faster surfaces.”
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