Wim Fissette is poised to help take Iga Swiatek’s career to new heights as the Belgian coach sets his sights on helping her secure Grand Slam titles beyond the clay courts of Roland Garros. Swiatek, the world’s No. 1 player and a four-time Grand Slam champion, recently made a bold move by parting ways with her longtime coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, after a fruitful partnership that spanned three years. Now, with Fissette in her corner, the 23-year-old Polish star is focused on expanding her dominance across all surfaces, not just clay, as she looks to cement her place as one of the greatest players of her generation.
Swiatek’s decision to part ways with Wiktorowski came after a challenging summer, where she fell short during the grass-court season and experienced mixed results in the North American hard-court swing. Despite these setbacks, Swiatek’s time with Wiktorowski was overwhelmingly successful. Under his guidance, she won 19 of her 22 WTA singles titles, including four Grand Slam victories—three at Roland Garros (2020, 2022, 2023) and one at the 2022 US Open. However, the young star felt that she had reached a point in her career where she was ready for a new challenge, announcing that she needed “to take the next step” and explore new coaching opportunities outside of her home country of Poland.
Enter Wim Fissette, a coach with an impressive track record of guiding top players to major success. Fissette has previously worked with some of the biggest names in tennis, including Kim Clijsters, Angelique Kerber, and Naomi Osaka, all of whom he helped win Grand Slam titles—Clijsters secured three, Kerber one, and Osaka two during his tenure as their coach. With this wealth of experience and a reputation for fine-tuning the games of elite players, Fissette is now tasked with building on Swiatek’s already remarkable achievements.
Fissette’s primary goal with Swiatek is clear: to expand her Grand Slam victories beyond the clay courts of Paris and turn her into a multi-surface threat. “Our goal is for Iga to start adding more Grand Slam titles on other surfaces as well,” Fissette said in an interview with *Eurosport Poland*. “The clay-court season has its own twists. There are a lot of matches and tournaments played in a short period of time. You need to get into a rhythm, gain confidence, and after Paris, it’s time to switch to other surfaces. Then there will be an opportunity to work on playing on other surfaces and try to succeed there.”
Although Swiatek has had a strong season—winning five titles and maintaining her No. 1 ranking—her performances on grass and hard courts have left room for improvement. Many observers believe that Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian powerhouse who won both the Australian Open and US Open in 2023, has emerged as a formidable rival to Swiatek. Sabalenka’s aggressive play, particularly on faster surfaces, has made her a major obstacle for Swiatek, even though the Pole holds an 8-4 lead in their head-to-head encounters. Additionally, Elena Rybakina, known for her powerful serve and groundstrokes, has also caused problems for Swiatek, especially on surfaces outside of clay.
Fissette is well aware of these challenges and understands the need to elevate Swiatek’s game, particularly when facing big hitters like Sabalenka and Rybakina. When asked about his approach to preparing Swiatek for high-stakes matches, he emphasized the importance of detailed analysis and mental preparation. “Top players want to play big matches, that’s their main motivation. They usually don’t have problems with it, it makes them happy,” Fissette explained. “How do I work? I have information, videos. I prepare my players, we discuss strengths and weaknesses, prepare tactically, and draw conclusions. In the case of tennis players like Aryna Sabalenka or Elena Rybakina, you make an analysis and look for a way to beat them.”
However, Fissette also recognizes that it is not easy to take an already established champion’s game to the next level, particularly one like Swiatek, who has enjoyed so much success in recent years. “On the one hand, they say that in tennis you should never change winning tactics,” Fissette said. “On the other hand, Iga has her strengths, but as I said, you have to develop and that will be very important.”
He went on to highlight some of the key improvements Swiatek has made over the past two seasons, particularly in her movement and court coverage, which have been instrumental in her rise to the top. “I see the progress she has made in the last two years. First of all, she moves better on the court. Watching her over the last two seasons has been a pleasure,” Fissette noted. But, for him, there is still room to grow. “We need to spend more time together to see certain things. To understand how she sees her future, her development. We need to work harder and set certain goals.”
Fissette’s strategy for Swiatek involves a meticulous approach, grounded in analyzing data and setting incremental goals for improvement. “I analyze all the information, and based on it, it is easier to see what needs to be improved. Then we set goals and analyze after a few months what we are doing next,” he explained. This approach will allow Fissette to fine-tune Swiatek’s game as she strives to become a dominant force on all surfaces.
As Swiatek embarks on this new chapter in her career with Fissette by her side, her fans and the tennis world will be watching closely to see how she evolves. With a proven coach who has helped multiple players achieve Grand Slam success, and a player as talented and driven as Swiatek, the future holds immense potential for continued success—this time across a wider variety of surfaces.