'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Iga Swiatek's coaching split with Tomasz Wiktorowski made headlines among tennis fans. After the high-profile split, the World No. 1 is set to join forces with coach Wim Fissette for the future.
As a tennis coach, Fissette's track record is enviable. The Belgian has worked with former World No. 1 players like Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Naomi Osaka. The former player recently ended his four-year coaching collaboration with Osaka, which saw the Japanese player win the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open.
Fissette's other noteworthy achievements have been winning the US Open twice with Clijsters and helping his countrywoman win the 2011 Australian Open. He was the coach of Angelique Kerber as well when the German player won her third Major at the 2018 Wimbledon.
Other notable players, whom Fissette coached, are the 2014 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki and former World No. 1 Simona Halep who reached the 2014 French Open final under his coaching.
Swiatek-Wiktorowski was one of the most prolific tennis partnerships
With Tomasz Wiktorowski at the helm of Swiatek's coaching team, the Pole went on an unprecedented run of success on the court. Since the coaching of Wiktorowski, the World No. 1 won 19 titles including four Grand Slams and 11 WTA 1000 titles, and also won the 2023 WTA Finals.
The Pole was able to tap into her aggressive style of play under Wiktorowski's coaching and pulled away from her peers in terms of performance, ending as the World No. 1 in the previous two seasons of 2022 and 2023.
Wiktorowski also had previous success coaching Polish players, as he won the 2015 WTA finals as the coach of Agnieszka Radwanska.
Fissette joins Iga Swiatek with Aryna Sabalenka threatening to take the World No. 1 spot from the Pole
As Wim Fissette joins the coaching team of Iga Swiatek, he will have his work cut out, as the Pole is in danger of losing her World No. 1 ranking to Aryna Sabalenka. The Belarusian has been in sparkling form this year, winning two Major titles and two WTA 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Wuhan. Only 69 points separate the two top-ranked players at the moment.
Since the French Open, Swiatek's form dipped as the top seed lost in the third round of the Wimbledon (losing to Yulia Putintseva) and the quarterfinal of the US Open (losing to Jessica Pegula). The Polish player took a leave from tennis and forego the entire Asian swing.
The WTA Finals will potentially be the first event where the Swiatek-Fissette partnership will be seen for the first time. The Pole will face stiff competition from seven other top performers of the 2024 season. It is imperative for her to defend her points from last year, to hold on to the No. 1 ranking.
