No. 1 Iga Swiatek hires veteran coach Wim Fissette

Field Level Media|published: Thu 17th October, 13:32 2024

Tennis: Billie Jean King Cup-Belgium at Canada

Apr 14, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Belgium Team Captain Wim Fissette chats with Ysaline Bonaventure in her singles match with Rebecca Marino of Canada during the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers at the Pacific Coliseum. Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium won 2 sets to 1. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images

World No. 1 Iga Swiatek confirmed the hiring of Wim Fissette as her new tennis coach on Thursday.

Swiatek parted ways with long-term coach Tomasz Wiktorowski two weeks ago.

Fissette coached former top-ranked players Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber to a combined six Grand Slam titles and also has worked with Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka.

"I want to say that I'm very excited and looking forward to working with Wim," Swiatek posted on social media. "He seems to have a great attitude, vision and huge experience at a very top level of tennis.

"It's always crucial to try and get to know each other better but we're off to a good start and I can't wait to compete soon."

Fissette, 44, of Belgium, recently split with Osaka, who later hired Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

He said he was thrilled to join Swiatek, the 23-year-old Polish star who collected her fifth Grand Slam singles title at the 2024 French Open.

"She's been a role model to many players with the intensity and focus she brings to work, so I'm eager to partner as we both continue to build our best selves and chase more dreams," Fissette said.

Swiatek has not played since losing to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open on Sept. 4, citing physical and mental exhaustion.

She is scheduled to participate in the WTA Finals, which begins on Nov. 2 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

--Field Level Media