Iga Swiatek’s new coach Wim Fissette was only out of a job for a matter of weeks after splitting with Naomi Osaka.
Judged to be the person to take her to another level, Wim Fissette joined forces with the five-time major champion this month after a split with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
A game of musical chairs has gone on over the past few weeks on the WTA Tour, with three Grand Slam champions – Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Naomi Osaka – all changing coaches.
The four-time French Open champion picked up her third consecutive Roland Garros crown in June, before agonizingly having to settle for bronze at the Olympics.
With the clay-court specialist often bizarrely targeted for being a one-trick-pony despite her multiple hard-court titles, she is looking to add more to her game and silence those naysayers.
Wim Fissette outlines ‘main goal’ for new partnership with Iga Swiatek
Having taken a bit of time away from the tour and choosing not to defend her Beijing title, Swiatek has since been pipped by Aryna Sabalenka to the world number one spot.
Keen on reclaiming that position, Swiatek is set to return to defend her WTA Finals title in November.
With myriad goals set by the ambitious 23-year-old, new coach Fissette is also incredibly excited by his new introduction to the Swiatek team.
He told Eurosport: “I am eager to experience the clay court season with her, to live those tournaments with Iga on a daily basis, especially Roland Garros. It is clear that I will learn a lot from her, see how she experiences the clay and what makes it so special,” he explained, having previously coached hard-court specialist Osaka.
“It is important to discover that process and the mindset with which she faces this part of the tour. Of course, what we desire is for Iga to remain the queen on this surface,” he admitted.
With her Olympic semi-final defeat to Qinwen Zheng her only loss at Roland Garros in 27 matches, Fissette was clear that a continuation of this form is top of the agenda.
“The main goal will be this, as everyone wants to see Iga reigning on the clay, the fans place her as the queen of this surface. Obviously, having success in the other Grand Slams is also a fundamental objective, perhaps achieving a higher level of comfort on faster surfaces.
“However, it is not easy to be successful on clay, play so many matches in a few weeks, and then make that transition to grass,” he explained. “It is necessary to feel comfortable on grass, trust your game plan and movement. We will try different methods until we find success there.”
Iga Swiatek needs another big hard-court title to prove to herself she can do it
While much of the criticism levelled at her is that she’s a clay-court specialist and nothing else, the same disparaging commentary was never issued to the likes of Rafael Nadal.
Sabalenka, a hard-court specialist, is not frequently undermined by her dominance on the surface.
Nevertheless, and despite Swiatek’s 2024 wins at Indian Wells and Qatar (both on hard-courts), a fast start to the season will give her so much confidence.
With her clay-court ability unlikely to fade, an improvement on the grass, again despite her Junior Wimbledon title, will only grant less space for criticism.
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