Occasionally, an athlete’s coach may grab the limelight; Especially if the player is doing incredibly well. But in the case of Iga Swiatek, it is not just her coach but also her psychologist in the public eye. Now, Swiatek and her former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski parted ways after an incredible journey marked by 19 titles–including four of her five Grand Slams. This decision confused people, and many even blamed Swiatek’s psychologist, Daria Abramowicz, for this. Several experts like Jan Tomaszewski spoke about Abramowicz’s involvement in the sacking issue. “I agree 100 percent; something is wrong here.“

Then even Tomasz Wolfke stated, “I don’t recall another situation in sports when the psychologist was so visible… The main role in it is played not by the coach but by the psychologist.”

Speculations began swirling that Abramowicz could have influenced the tennis star’s decision, but earlier this month, Wiktorowski shared his final thoughts on the issue. “There has been a great deal of speculation and insinuations… Definitely too much considering that the statement that was issued was very precise and defines our decision.”

Now, in a new interview with Biznes Klasa channel on YouTube, Abramowicz has come forward to talk about Swiatek. The interview was conducted in Polish and quotes transcribed by Sport.PL was translated into English.  

In the interview, Wiktorowski was asked what kind of boss Swiatek was. Thinking about the same, Wiktorowski’s eyes first widened before she came up with an answer.

“It’s hard for me to answer this question, also because I’m bound by professional secrecy. However, she is the kind of person who certainly finds her way in all challenges. I think that a good boss – and this is a feature that Iga has – a good boss, a good leader in a sense, is also the kind of person who understands the value of a team, who is able to surround themselves with competent and valuable people, and this is also a great value,” she revealed.

Daria Abramowicz is probably the most famous psychologist in the tennis world at the moment. She has been working with Swiatek since 2019. Swiatek has repeatedly emphasized how big a role her psychologist plays in her team. The tennis star previously revealed that their work together is not only about controlling emotions on the court, but it’s also about mental training in everyday life.

She spoke about how Daria Abramowicz keenly observes how she functions and what patterns she sometimes falls into. According to her claims, her psychologist also analyzes how other people’s expectations and comments affect her mental state. “She directs me to develop actions that will work for me,” said Iga Swiatek about her psychologist.

Despite these claims of Daria Abramowicz’s enormous role in her team, there have been multiple such instances in the past as well, where critics shared some controversial opinions on their relationship. For example, last year, Iga Swiatek openly voiced her displeasure about the same topic during an interview with WP SportweFakty. She claimed, “These people know nothing about me or my life.” 

It is clear that the tennis player has had enough of all the speculations surrounding her psychologist. But let us take a minute to look at that one

Daria Abramowicz: Empowering Iga Swiatek

When Iga Swiatek won her fourth trophy at Roland-Garros in June, Abramowicz was one of the people who knew how much effort the player put in. Then, there was a lot of outside pressure as well. How did she deal with it? As per the psychologist, “The key was: being close to yourself, remembering what you wanted to do, keeping your standards high and your expectations low. I am proud of her, because it was so hard. From that perspective, I’m 100% sure it’ll empower her.”

She acknowledged that the Polish star has a special talent, but Swiatek also had to build the mentality of a champion. “There are some qualities that are extremely helpful in terms of building high performance, champions’ performances. But even in solitary sports like tennis, there is a team. In psychology, we have something which is called environmental mastery and I do think that this is essential.”

“There’s an athlete who is in that social network, and as important and essential to creating these legendary champions mindset is, there’s also this environmental mastery that our team is responsible for,” the psychologist shared back then.

The mindset is something that can be trained. Abramowicz has used everything—from data on Swiatek’s body and nervous system to her subjective feelings, thoughts, and beliefs to bring about changes in her mindset. 

She also uses mindfulness, refocusing, goal-setting, and affirmation strategies in her everyday work with Iga Swiatek.