Iga Swiatek’s coaching woes seem to be dragging on, keeping fans and experts guessing. Ever since she parted ways with her long-time coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, the Polish star has been looking for the right person to steer her game back on track. Plenty of names have been tossed into the ring by experts, each with the potential to fill that critical role in her team. Among those voices is German journalist Andreas Thies, who has now thrown an interesting suggestion into the mix—someone from Naomi Osaka’s former team could be the one to rescue Swiatek from her coaching dilemma.
Thies sat for an interview with the Polish publication Sport.pl and stressed Wim Fissette’s name who could be the potential successor of Wiktorowski. He highlighted that the challenge for the next coach would be to improve Iga’s versatility on other surfaces, but without impacting her dominance on the court. For this, he considers Fissette to be the safest and the best option.
He said, “There is one name that stands out: Wim Fissette. He knows how to deal with the best players; he wants to work with them, and he has helped every player he has trained. I think he will focus on Iga’s serve.” Indeed, the Belgian coach has partnered with some strong names across the tennis circuit and has helped them reach greater heights. This includes the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Qinwen Zheng, Angelique Kerber, and Kim Clijsters. His most recent stint was with the Japanese star Naomi Osaka.
Remember, Naomi Osaka parted ways with Fissette after the US Open this year to end her second stint with the coach. The duo first partnered between 2019 and 2022 and won three of her four Grand Slams. Their second stint started in 2023 but was marred by poor performances, which probably forced Osaka to take the call and partner with Patrick Mouratoglou. On the other hand, Iga Swiatek won her last title at the French Open this year and has witnessed significant heartbreaks. Hence, Thies believes that Fissette would be ideal as her next coach.
Earlier, Swiatek talked about her plans and said, “I am currently in initial talks with non-Polish coaches as I prepare to take the next step in my career. I’ll update you once I’ve made my choice,” while announcing her separation from Wiktorowski. Since then, the tennis community has been waiting for a name! However, this is not the only problem that Swiatek is grappling with, as the World No. 1 is also receiving criticism for her on-court skills.
Iga Swiatek was criticized for her ‘one-dimensional’ playing style
The Polish tennis sensation has witnessed significant challenges. She has failed to return to the courts and missed the entirety of the Asian Swings. This absence is also attributed to the chaos that she is facing within her team. Amidst all the challenges, the star player also faces additional struggles, as she received flak for her playing style from tennis expert Tomasz Wolfke.
The Polish expert engaged in an interview with Super Express and shared his perspective on Swiatek’s playing style, claiming that it is quite bland with no variations. “We don’t really know what happened in this team, but three years of cooperation in tennis is such a completely normal period, and during this period Iga and Tomek achieved stunning success together. However, recently there have been reservations about Iga’s playing style. I even always said in an open text that her tennis is too one-dimensional,” he said. However, he did not fail to acknowledge the success that has come her way.
“You can’t have a grudge against her either, because there is also a tennis school that says that we practice painfully what we do best and beat everyone with these two or three strokes, just like in the case of Iga,” Wolfke explained.
Now, the most crucial for the star player is to overcome the struggling phase, finalize the best fit for her team, and return to the courts soon. Will Swiatek make a dominant return soon? Well, only time will tell.
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