“Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game.” Iga Swiatek wrote on her Instagram, announcing her split with Tomas Wiktorowski after three years. On the surface, their partnership seemed formidable, yielding an impressive 19 tournament victories for the Pole, including her historic 37-match win streak in 2022! Sharing the spotlight with her, Wiktorowski was also nominated as the WTA Coach of the Year in 2022. But surprisingly, after their split, an insider revealed a toxic dynamic that had been brewing beneath the surface!

As per an insider’s report to Sport.pl, Swiatek had ‘no special chemistry’ with the 43-year-old Polish coach. Despite being in sync about the pathways on how to achieve success, the duo hardly spent time together beyond their professional requirements. Unfortunately, that’s not it! Sometimes, their troublesome dynamic seeped into their on-court conversations as well. One such incident occurred in the Paris Olympics, where Swiatek, who eventually claimed a bronze medal, couldn’t avoid the former player’s harsh words. 

“He became nervous, used offensive words, and more and more often he treated Iga harshly, such as in New York. He also led a completely different lifestyle than Iga. Less sporty, let’s call it that,” revealed the insider. A similar situation unfolded during their US Open training session, wherein Swiatek did not come out initially. And after 20 minutes when she appeared (while rubbing her eyes), Wiktorowski made a sarcastic comment. “It’s time to cry,” as per the report.

Even during her US Open tournament, where Jessica Pegula ousted her in the QFs, experts noticed that she barely took any advice from her coach. Per the insider, as the tournament ended, Swiatek couldn’t avoid the cracks in their partnership anymore.“She trained, but she knew that returning to the tour in the same line-up made no sense.”

However, Swiatek has made no official statement yet. The Pole has been missing from action since her New York heartbreak and has already withdrawn from the Korea, China, and Wuhan Open tournaments. In her recent statement, Swiatek confessed that she had already started her hunt for her next coach (non-Polish) and will soon “start a cooperation” with the new coach within a few weeks.

Swiatek’s decision might have shaken the fans, but as per the tennis expert Adam Romer, this was not a “surprise” to him!

Romer shares his take on Iga Swiatek’s coaching shakeup!

The Polish journalist, Romer, weighed in on Swiatek’s decision for a coaching shakeup. During an interview with Sports.pl, he confessed, “I’m not surprised, because the situation in recent weeks around Iga after the US Open was exceptional.” Swiatek, who claimed three consecutive French Open titles, could not go past the third round in Wimbledon. Add to that a semifinal loss in Cincinnati and a quarterfinal loss at the US Open. In New York, the Pole also criticized the demanding tennis schedule.

Further talking about Swiatek, who played 14 tournaments this year, Romer added, “This season has also been a real struggle for her. There was some visible friction. She may be feeling tired.” He even addressed the similarity of the current situation to the time when Swiatek ended ties with her former coach, Piotr Sieprzutowski, in 2021, after five years of partnership. Romer continued, “They talked about their plans for the season at a conference, and a week later Iga informed us that they were ending their cooperation.”

Now, as Iga Swiatek embarks on this new journey in tennis, will the scars of her past interfere with her performance, or will it propel her to more success? We will find out soon!