“A different type of serve tonight,” is what Iga Swiatek’s latest Instagram post says. She was seen having a fun time with the biggest rival, Aryna Sabalenka, as they both continued to prepare for the WTA Finals. A few weeks before, Swiatek, stuck in her own strategic misery, had to deal with the emotional as well as strategic toll amid a split with her long-time coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Although she has managed to find a replacement by bringing Naomi Osaka’s ex-coach Wim Fissette into the team, there are many who still don’t think her coaching misery is settled.

Swiatek’s decision to switch coaches comes after a challenging period, despite her previous success. She won four of her five Grand Slam titles during her three-year collaboration with Wiktorowski. However, a series of recent disappointments like her quarter-final loss to Jessica Pegula at the 2024 US Open forced the disturbed force to reconsider her coaching team. Besides, her season also included a third-round exit at Wimbledon, a semi-final loss at the Paris Olympics (though she went on to win bronze), and a semi-final defeat at the Cincinnati Open. Swiatek decided that a new perspective was necessary to regain her top form after the prolonged misery.

However, Polish tennis journalist Marek Olejniczak Olejniczak feels Swiatek might have rushed into this change and therefore believes it would have been wiser to finish the season with her former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski. “I admit that if I were her, I would leave coach Tomasz Wiktorowski until the end of the season and only then make changes,” Olejniczak said to Sport.pl. His doubts go beyond timing, though, as he questioned Fissette’s history with other players, suggesting that he rarely builds long-term coaching relationships. “I have doubts whether Fissette is a long-term option. There are smiles and selfies for now, but it’s enough to remember how it was with other players.”

Announcing her partnership with Fissette, Swiatek expressed optimism for the future. She took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her thoughts, saying, “I’m excited and motivated to start a new chapter. 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,” she stated. Swiatek is now looking forward to developing a strong bond with Fissette. “I’m very excited and looking forward to working with Wim. He seems to have a great attitude, vision, and huge experience at a very top level of tennis,” she added.

The Belgian coach has a proven track record as he coached top players such as Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, etc in the past. He has led his apprentices to a total of six Grand Slam titles, including two with Osaka. After announcing earlier that she wanted to work with a foreign coach after parting ways with Wiktorowski, Swiatek will now aim to get the most out of Fissette’s experience. However, Olejniczak’s concerns about Fissette’s short stints with players still remain to be a major concern.

The next challenge for this duo will be to reclaim Swiatek’s year-end No. 1 ranking, which Aryna Sabalenka recently took over. Amid all the present issues, the past still continues to make noise amid new theories emerging about her split with Wiktorowski.

Tensions with Tomasz Wiktorowski led to Iga Swiatek’s coaching change

Iga Swiatek took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message thanking her former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, for his contribution to some of the amazing seasons. While her words were filled with gratitude, speculation soon arose about the true dynamics of their player-coach relationship. As things delved into major details, the partnership appeared less strong than it seemed on the outside. Reports emerging from the Polish media started to compose a story about the tensions between Swiatek and Wiktorowski. This hinted at deeper issues that eventually led to their split.

According to Sebastian Parfjanowicz of Przegląd Sportowy.Onet, Swiatek, and Wiktorowski’s interactions were majorly limited to their training sessions. The two even stayed in separate hotels during tournaments, which raised further questions about the state of their relationship. Lech Sidor,  a former tennis player, and now Eurosport commentator, who coached Swiatek during her junior years, revealed that these tensions were present as early as the start of the 2024 season. He noted that the cracks in their professional relationship began to show as the year progressed, with visible signs of frustration on both sides.

Sidor explained that Swiatek standing up for herself marked a turning point in her career. “We had the number 1 in the world who was starting to stand up to the coach,” he stated, reflecting on how the first two years of Swiatek’s partnership with Wiktorowski had been overwhelmingly positive. “It was going phenomenally. Matches were winning themselves.” However, Sidor acknowledged that things started to unravel this season, with both Swiatek and Wiktorowski showing signs of strain. “Later, some friction started,” he added, making it clear that the growing tension likely pushed Swiatek to make the difficult decision to part ways with Wiktorowski.

Despite the addition of an experienced coach, Swiatek’s concerns do not appear to cool down. As she prepares for the WTA Finals, only a dominant performance could shut the rumors.