Swiatek hires Wim Fissette as her new coach

• Iga Swiatek’s search for a new coach has come to an end after she announced the hire of Wim Fissette
• Fissette has previously worked with some of the biggest names in the tennis world, including Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber

World number one Iga Swiatek‘s search for a new coach has come to an end after she announced the hire of Wim Fissette. Swiatek, 23, parted ways with former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski at the start of this month and is looking forward to working with Fissette.

The Pole had made it clear that she wanted to hire a coach “from abroad” after ending her partnership with Wiktorowski, and taking a look at Fissette’s resume, he is fit for the job. Fissette has previously worked with some of the biggest names in the tennis world, including Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber.

The 44-year-old is, however, best known for his time with Osaka whom he helped win two Grand Slams before they parted ways in September. Osaka cited frustration with recent results as the reason for opting for a new coach. Nevertheless, Swiatek has confidence in Fissette and is “very excited” to get to work with him, as per her Instagram post.

Wim Fissette. Photo/ BBC.

“I’m happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team. As you know, I’m preparing for the WTA Finals but my perspective is, as always, long term, not short term. I said many times that my career is a marathon for me, not a sprint, and I’m working, operating and making decisions with this approach. I want to say that I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim.” Iga Swiatek posted on her Instagram account.

Why Did Swiatek Part Ways With Tomasz Wiktorowski 

Swiatek left a good number of tennis fans shocked last month when she announced that Tomasz Wiktorowski was no longer her coach. The pole and Wiktorowski started working together in 2022 and have achieved great success, with Swiatek winning three Grand Slams during that period. Her other achievements working with the 43-year-old include becoming the first Polish player to be world number one.

Swiatek has now won four Grand Slam titles, including three successive French Opens. She won the French Open and US Open in her debut season with Wiktorowski.

While it seems the partnership between Swiatek and Wiktorowski worked out, the world number one hasn’t been impressed with her performance on hard court this season. She exited the Australian Open in the third round and failed to go past the quarter-final stage at the US Open, prompting the decision to part ways with her former coach.

In her own words, the world number was overcome with emotions after losing the US Open. She also cried for”six hours” straight after losing in the semi-final stage at the Olympics. Nevertheless, in truth, there weren’t as many top coaches to replace Tomasz Wiktorowski in Swiatek’s camp, considering the strides he helped her take.

Swiatek needed a Grand Slam winning coach with global reputation, qualities which made Wim Fissette an ideal candidate.

Who Has Wim Fissette Previously Worked With? 

As already hinted at the start of this article, Fissette has worked with prominent figures in women’s tennis. The Belgian guided Kim Clijsters to a major title and also helped Angelique Kerber established her name as one of the finest female tennis players.

Fissette has also worked with former world number ones Victoria Azarenka and Simona Halep. With Osaka, he guided her to triumph in two Grand Slams – US Open and Australian Open titles. He then briefly coached China’s Zheng Qinwen, but had their partnership end sour when he opted to return to Osaka’s side ahead of the Japanese’s comeback to the beautiful game.

Wim Fissette and Naomi Osaka. Photo/ WTA.

Osaka’s progress wasn’t as swift as she wanted after her maternity leave, which led to her parting ways with Fissette. As of now, she is working with Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou while the Belgian is getting ready to start with Swiatek.