Iga Swiatek has admitted that her decision to part ways with Wim Fissette was made long before the news was made public, as she also hinted that she spoke to Rafael Nadal about her next coach, but is determined not to give too much away.
The six-time Grand Slam winner split from Fissette following her shock second-round defeat to fellow Pole Magda Linette at the Miami Open just over a fortnight ago.
Swiatek’s early exit from the WTA 1000 tournament in Florida came on the back of quarter-final losses against Elina Svitolina at the Indian Wells Open and Maria Sakkari at the Qatar Open.
And it was that defeat to Sakkari that set the wheels in motion for her decision to end her working relationship with Fissette, who joined her setup in October 2024.
In an extensive interview with Sport.pl, Swiatek was asked about ending the relationship with the Belgian and replied: “This is between us. I don’t want to go into details. It’s definitely not something someone like me decides to do after one failure. I wouldn’t make such a decision lightly.
“Sometimes you can see me as an emotional person, but I really don’t make decisions impulsively. I’m quite rational. I like to give myself time to make decisions. Besides, I don’t make many changes within the team. I think that’s a very good approach. I like to give the team the opportunity to ‘reset’ and start working a little differently.
“However, in this case, I felt it was simply time for a change. Yes, it wasn’t a decision made in Miami — it was a longer process during which I carefully considered everything.
“During the tournament in Doha, I realised I wasn’t feeling as good on court as I had before. Of course, different tournaments can have different reasons for a poor performance—sometimes I just know I wasn’t focused that day, sometimes my forehand was failing, sometimes something else. It happens. But I felt like I wasn’t playing as well, and that’s why I started losing confidence.
“After my loss to Maria Sakkari, we sat down and had a long talk. We discussed what to change and how to approach the following week so I could get back to my solid game. And indeed, we made some progress before Indian Wells. But when I considered the whole picture, I decided I needed a change.
“Honestly, I learned a lot about myself during this process. There were different moments, different approaches and retreats – this stage lasted several weeks.”
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Of course, the focus is now on her next coach and the upcoming clay-court season.
Several names have been mentioned, including tennis great Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig and Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup captain Dawid Celt.
Swiatek will next be in action at the Stuttgart Open and she will prepare for the tournament by training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, leading to speculation that Nadal has played a big role in the search for her next coach.
When the former world No 1 was asked “Is it true that Rafael Nadal helped you find a coach? And is it true that he’ll be at your box in Stuttgart and at other clay tournaments?” she said: “Of course – Rafa is my idol and actually the only person I watched playing tennis as a child.
“He was also kind enough to speak to me a few times whilst he was still playing and give me some advice. He’s someone I can turn to if I need help or have a problem to solve.
“Help from someone so experienced – in fact, the best, the GOAT – is obviously a wonderful opportunity and I’ll take advantage of it whenever I can. Rafa is very open. He’s a great guy.
“The very fact that I have his number and can get in touch with him is a great honour for me. But to be honest, whether he helped me [in choosing a coach – rl] or not, I’d like to keep that between us, because he’s part of this story. I wouldn’t want to put him in an awkward position.”
The post Iga Swiatek reveals when she decided to end Wim Fissette partnership and makes Rafael Nadal confession appeared first on Tennis365.
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