Iga Swiatek and her ex-coach split frankly don’t seem to… settle in; there have been alarming insights for fans. After breaking up with Tomasz Wiktorowski as a coach, the Pole switched gears – she hired Naomi Osaka‘s former coach Wim Fissette. While the Belgian coach flexes ‘tactical finesse’ or so, claimed by experts, some have pointed out issues that might prove detrimental to her WTA comeback and, as the world-ranking leader. She lost her long-held position to Belarusian rival Aryna Sabalenka days ago due to back-to-back no-shows. Now, the American tennis veteran, CoCo Vandeweghe, has made her pick for the WTA Finals.

The Pole skipped the Asian hardcourt swing due to a taxing coaching transit, which wasn’t the first time she had lost points. Her US Open campaign bore no fruit, and she struggled to defend her reign outside of the clay. Subsequently, the young talent added a fresh face to her coaching team, but her much-anticipated performance at the WTA Finals has been questioned. This, in turn, prompted an ex-WTA pro to reiterate such feelings.

In a feature episode on the ‘Tennis Channel Live Podcast’, Vandeweghe cast doubts over Swiatek’s awaited adventure in Saudi Arabia. With Fissette guiding her, the American sensation shied from picking the 23-year-old as the event’s champion. She said, “I’m going to go with field. I’m gonna really go out on a limb here. I think Iga’s been so dominant but such a question mark with the new coach and how is she feeling. I think Sabalenka has had such a high, but is she tired? I’m going glass half empty and going field.”

After a modest second half of the season, Swiatek aims to deal her cards right. For those unaware, ominous signs loom over her comeback in Riyadh as she locks horns with formidable opponents from the WTA’s top-8 lot owing to a recent drop in form and concerns about whether she can find her rhythm with the Belgian coach. Eurosport commentator Lech Sidor lamented the Pole’s latest alliance explaining that Osaka’s ex-coach is “not a man who has been introducing a revolution so far”.

Ahead of her first collaboration with Fissette, Swiatek has jetted to Riyadh with the latter, and psychologist Daria Abramowicz. However, promptness never reversed CoCo Vandeweghe’s candid admission of her reinstation as the WTA leader.

CoCo Vandeweghe claims Iga Swiatek will not dethrone Aryna Sabalenka

Polish superstar Iga Swiatek has dealt with a season full of surprises. She held the World No. 1 position for weeks, producing sound results consistently around the year. However, things took a sharp turn after her tour-level participation in North America and absence from the Asian hardcourt season affected her 125-week held No. 1 spot. Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka took over with her impressive showdowns in New York and Shanghai.

In a different episode on the ‘Tennis Channel Live Podcast’, Vandeweghe expressed that the Pole might not be able to reclaim the feat from Sabalenka. “I don’t think Iga’s gonna be able to retake the No. 1 ranking from Sabalenka even if she does win out. I could be wrong and I’m happy to be wrong. There’s obviously commitments that WTA makes you play.”

With a crucial tournament ahead and her comeback quest carefully treaded, Swiatek is looking to furnish herself with a steady start to the upcoming season. Given her stability on the hardcourt betters, the young talent could decorate her resume further.