The season of change in tennis is far from over, and it’s not just the usual shuffle of strategies on the court. Iconic players like Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff have already made headlines for reshuffling their teams in a bid to overcome their struggles. Now, another powerhouse—World No. 1 Iga Swiatek—has joined the wave of change by parting ways with her long-time coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski. But if rumors are to be believed, Wiktorowski isn’t the only one who has stepped away from Swiatek’s camp.
As per the words floating in the tennis corridors, Swiatek has ended her partnership with yet another significant member of his team, and he is none other than her sparring partner Tomasz Moczek. While the confirmation on this has yet to come, full-blown confusion over the news has taken over the realm with a series of claims and counterclaims.
The rumor was first floated by Sofa Sportowa at around 3.30 pm (Polish time) on October 5. They wrote on their X handle, “If you listen carefully here and there, you can hear that Iga Świątek’s long-time sparring partner Tomek Moczek has also left the team.” (as translated by the sport.pl). As anticipations started building up, Dominik Senkowski, a journalist with Sport.pl emerged on the scene.
At around 4.15 pm (Polish time), Senkowski posted on X, “Channel @SofaSportowa reports that Iga Świątek’s sparring partner Tomasz Moczek has left the team. I asked Iga’s manager for a comment, but she denies it.” Alongside, Senkowski also quoted the manager’s exact statement: “Tomasz Moczek continues to cooperate, and the entire composition of the sports team remains unchanged, apart from yesterday’s change.” Understandably, she was referring to Iga’s split from his coach. Meanwhile, Sofa Sportowa took to the X again.
At around 5 pm (Polish time) the handle came out with a fresh tweet with a screenshot of its previous post, writing, “In order not to spread disinformation the entry was deleted.” (as translated by Google). While we have to wait further to find where the situation heads if there is any truth in the news, it will only compound the agony of the Raszyn player. Moczek has been termed as one of the biggest strengths for Swiatek. In fact, Swiatek’s former coach, Paweł Ostrowski, had only good words to say about him.
He defined him as “a great professional and the good spirit of this team,” per Sport Radiozet. “He is probably one of the best specialists in Poland and even in the world. He holds the ball very well, can adjust to the pace of the game, change the rotation, and his serve is also very good,” Ostrowski said in Moczek’s praise. The Skarżysko-Kamienna native started working with Iga when she was still competing in junior tournaments. The first meeting between Iga and Moczek took place when Piotr Sierzputowski was the coach of the Polish team.
“One day, he invited me to check out a young star of Polish tennis. Of course, I didn’t refuse, from the first training session we got along very well on the court. Iga made a great impression on me in every possible aspect,” Moczek had recalled in an interview for TVP Sport. He has worked with Urszula Radwańska and Mariusz Fyrstenberg in the past. “He is a very nice person and therefore he definitely introduces a positive mood in the team. This also has its significance. Such a person in Iga Świątek’s team is certainly very, very useful,” Ostrowski had further added. Notably, Moczek himself was a promising tennis player.
At the age of less than 12, Moczek was at the forefront of Polish tennis. As a ten-year-old boy, he stood out because he could play unconventionally. He played varied tennis and had a one-handed backhand, which made him stand out from others. He was twice the Polish champion in doubles and team competitions.
Moczek was coached by his father Andrez from the age of five. About his son’s association with Iga’s team, Andrez said, “He gets along well with Iga and other members of the staff. I think they make a good team.” While that team has definitely taken Iga to new heights, time has not been in Iga’s favor lately.
She was ousted in the third round of Wimbledon, the Semi-final of the Cincinnati Masters, and the quarterfinals of the US Open. But what followed after the grand slam was yet more heartbreaking, as Swiatek did not play a single match and has been withdrawing from the tournaments left and right.
She withdrew from the Korea Open and the China Open. On September 26, the organizers of Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, set to take place in Tokyo from October 21-27, informed that she has withdrawn from the tournament. There were expectations of her participation in the WTA 1000 Dongfeng Voyah – Wuhan Open, set to take place from October 7 to 13. Her manager had even said, “The next tournament that Iga has been registered for is the competition in Wuhan.” But she pulled out of that as well, hours after announcing the split from her coach. So who might step in to fill in those shoes?
Will Naomi Osaka’s ex-teammate be Iga Swiatek’s next coach?
Soon after her split with her former coach, Iga Swiatek said, “I’m in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish) because I’m ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision.” But the name that is making rounds in the tennis corridor as Swiatek’s next coach is quite interesting.
According to the Polish publication Sport.pl, Wim Fissette is leading the pack to become Swiatek’s next coach. Interestingly, Fissette is Naomi Osaka’s ex-coach, with whom the Japanese player separated last month following her poor performance at the US Open, where she lost in the second round.
Fissette worked with Osaka in two separate stints: from 2019 to the summer of 2022 and again in 2023 till September this year, when Osaka resumed her tennis career following the birth of her daughter, Shai. He also helped her clinch two of her four Grand Slam titles. Apart from that, Fissette’s coaching portfolio includes Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, and Angelique Kerber. With Clijsters, Fissette won the US Open twice and the Australian Open once while with Kerber Wimbledon.
If Fissette joins forces with Iga Swiatek, it would be interesting to see if he can help her achieve similar or greater success than Osaka. But for now, another huge question is when Iga will come back to the court. From November 2 to 9 the WTA Finals are set to take place in Riyadh. Iga will defend the title she won last year in Cancun, Mexico. But her withdrawal from Wuhan takes away the vital practice she needed before the tournament. Also on the cards is the Billie Jean King Cup where Polan is competing from 13 to 20 November in Malaga, Spain.
In the line-up of the tournament recently announced by captain Dawid Celt, the leader of the team will be Magdalena Fręch, currently the second Polish tennis player in the WTA ranking (32nd place). Others are Magda Linette (43rd WTA), Maja Chwalińska (176th WTA), and Katarzyna Kawa (221st WTA). But the fifth place has been left vacant. So can Iga be there?
“No decisions have been made yet regarding Iga’s participation in the Billie Jean King Cup tournament,” her manager had said. Some positive developments are the need of the hour. Both for Iga and her fans.