Iga Świątek called time on her coaching partnership with Wim Fissette on Monday.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, first began working with the Belgian coach in October 2024.
During Fissette’s tenure, Swiatek won three WTA Tour titles, including a first Wimbledon Ladies Singles crown.
Does Iga Swiatek now win the French Open after changing coaches? 🤔
Let us know your reasoning in the comments ⬇️
However, her form has dipped significantly at the start of this year, with the Pole recently admitting that she was enduring her ‘worst nightmare’.
Kim Clijsters, who won three Grand Slam titles under Fissette’s tutelage, has shared her thoughts on Swiatek’s decision.
Kim Clijsters says there were ‘red flags’ before Iga Swiatek’s split from Wim Fissette
In the Love All podcast, Clijsters said: “My first kind of feeling is a little bit… I saw some of the interactions that were happening on court as well, and I think, to Wim’s defence, when a player is mentally where she was at, I don’t think there’s a lot that you can say from the sideline.
“It’s a lot further than ‘hey do this on the tennis court, or hey try to focus on placing the ball there, or throwing the ball toss or stepping in on the return.’ It’s a lot further than that. It’s a lot deeper.
“A few years ago, [Aryna] Sabalenka was very open about sharing that, you know, people recommended her to go talk to a psychologist and that after a while she realised, like, ‘What am I doing? Like, I’m the only person who can change this.
“This person doesn’t know what it’s like to be out there. Like, I just have to change myself. And I think you come to a point that you can only… you have to look yourself in the mirror and make the changes and face your weaknesses and that tension.
“A lot of times, Wim’s very data-driven, which naturally he was like that. I was a very intuitive player, like I didn’t want to hear any stats.
“I didn’t care about the numbers, like in my brain it does not work, but you know, for me, like that was something that would be very overwhelming. I don’t know what Iga is like, right? But yeah, sometimes you want to have an open mind.
“But you could see that there was tension already for a few months and frustration and that their natural kind of player coaching relationship wasn’t really where it should be at, and I think those were a couple of red flags.
Do you think Iga Swiatek will win a Grand Slam this season?
“I also think on Wim’s side it’s also not easy to work in a team I think where you have a mindset coach who is very close, right? Who’s always there. And because that’s also, in a sense, I feel like the coach also has a little bit, needs to also know… it’s also part of it.
“I feel like a good coach can also understand the mental side of it, how to approach that, like I think it’s it’s not just the tennis part or the puzzle piece that you can just take out and replace by somebody else.
“Like, I think it’s a very intimate kind of detailed relationship and where you have to be able to express yourself openly and it’s not always easy, right?
Iga Swiatek’s coaching timeline
- Piotr Sierzputowski: 2016 – 2021 [One Grand Slam]
- Tomasz Wiktorowski: 2021 – 2024 [Four Grand Slams]
- Wim Fissette: 2024 – 2026 [One Grand Slam]
“But personalities have to match and it’s a lot of things. But Wim is somebody who was always on time. He’s very organised. Like I said, he was very data-driven.
“I would say he’s maybe not the best technical coach, right? Like he is not like that. If you’re looking for somebody to change your forehand or to do major things that was probably not his strength, but I’m also talking about like more than 10 years ago.
“He’s helped a lot of other players over time and so, that was my experience with him.”
Swiatek’s first professional coach was Piotr Sierzputowski. Under Sierzputowski’s tutelage, Swiatek won her first Grand Slam title at the 2020 French Open.
In 2021, Świątek parted ways with Sierzputowski and began working with Tomasz Wiktorowski.
The Polish coach helped Swiatek secure four Grand Slam titles before they parted ways in October 2024.
Rafael Nadal would be a great coach for Iga Swiatek
Of all the elite coaches currently available, Juan Carlos Ferrero stands out as the most well-known candidate.
Ferrero, the 2003 French Open champion, coached Carlos Alcaraz for seven years until their split in December last year.
Under Ferrero’s tutelage, Alcaraz achieved the world number one status and won six Grand Slam titles.
Of course, there is always Andy Murray, who has previously worked with Novak Djokovic and previously admitted he would ‘love’ to coach Swiatek.
However, could a left-field contender emerge?
Rafael Nadal is yet to enter the coaching fray. If he does decide to do so, he could be the perfect coach for the 24-year-old Polish star; who is a product of the Rafa Nadal Academy.
Nadal and Świątek – who idolises the Spanish legend – both possess the same competitive fire and heavy topspin game-styles.
The pair have also both been most successful on clay courts, and consequently, Nadal could be the perfect individual to take Swiatek’s game to another level.
