Iga Swiatek, the Polish tennis star and five-time Grand Slam champion, has recently faced a series of challenges both on and off the court. In October, she took the difficult step of announcing her separation from her lengthy coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski. This change followed a labored history of unfulfilling tournament performances. Soon after, Swiatek named Belgian Wim Fissette as her new coach. This decision signaled a broader turn away from her previous mantra of relentless training and competition.
In November, Swiatek was in deep water. She agreed to a one-month suspension after returning a positive test for the banned substance trimetazidine. This incident compounded the difficulties she already faced as a rookie season. She hasn’t won a tournament in almost a year. The moves – made all the more stunning by how quickly they have unfolded – have resulted in Swiatek losing her number-one ranking. Today, she is the world number two.
New Coaching Dynamics
Retreating from that decision has enabled Swiatek to welcome experienced Belgian coach Wim Fissette into her team. Her goal is to get her competitive footing back under her during this important period. The transition appears challenging. She suffered a semi-final defeat at the Madrid Open to Coco Gauff and has seen her performance decline in recent months.
Even with these disappointments, Swiatek is hopeful as she looks ahead to her room for most improvement. She explained her perspective on the current state of women’s tennis:
“The level of tennis in the world is getting higher and higher. The girls got to know my game, they developed themselves,” – Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek has emphasized her commitment to improvement, stating, “I work, day in and day out, week in and week out, to be better. So there is no reason to make strange judgements or look for fatigue or burnout.”
Ongoing Collaborations
Besides making waves in her coaching moves Swiatek has deepened her existing collaboration with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz. Even after this long and impressive collaboration, when doubts about its effectiveness began appearing following Swiatek’s forgettable summer stretch, those questions were understandable. When asked if she felt their cooperation had run its course, she refrained from agreeing, asserting that she finds value in their ongoing work.
No. Here’s the thing that people don’t realize, there’s a need for new challenges. It was very challenging for her,” Swiatek said, underscoring the difficulty of her experience as an emerging superstar in any sport.
Swiatek admits that she’s not always happy even when she plays well. She accepts these feelings as she would accept the cramping of an aspiring contortionist, a byproduct of her perfectionism. There are times that I am not satisfied with how I play. It’s natural, especially with my perfectionism. We see that right now on the court,” she said.
Looking Ahead
While Swiatek continues to process these stormy developments, there is positive news to be drawn from her last few outings. She added that getting to the last eight or the last four is still impressive and shows how consistent she has been over the course of the season.
“Then I find a lot of positives. Reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good result. Again, I am the most even player of the whole season,” – Iga Swiatek.
Swiatek, the world No 1, has not won a title in more than a year since her win at last year’s French Open. Even so, she’s optimistic about her prospects for innovation and continued improvement. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that opponents have gotten better at playing the game. Despite her current difficulties, she remains committed to addressing her issues and returning to form.
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