Swiatek defends coach and psychologist despite disappointing results

New Straits Times

07-05-2025

Iga Swiatek has not won a tournament in almost a year, but the Polish world number two has defended her coach and psychologist despite a poor run of results and losing her place at the top of the world rankings during a difficult period.
Swiatek parted ways with her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, in October after three years, bringing Belgian Wim Fissette into her team. In November, she accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine.
The five-time Grand Slam winner has drawn a blank since lifting last year's French Open title, and her most recent outing saw her relinquish her Madrid Open crown in a crushing 6-1, 6-1 semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff last week.
"Sometimes I'm not happy with the way I play. It's natural, especially with my perfectionism. This can be seen on the court," Swiatek told Polish media outlet SportoweFakty in an interview.
"However, when I come off it, I can look at the season from a broader perspective.
"Then I find a lot of positives. Reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good result. Again, I am the most consistent player of the whole season."
Swiatek was asked whether her new coach, Fissette, was responsible for the lack of success.
"No, that's a very harsh and unfair statement," she said.
"I can only look at the coach from my own perspective, which is the only one that matters to me – that is, what our work looks like day-to-day.
"The poorer results coincided with many other challenges in recent months, including issues in my personal life. I've reached a point in my career where I've had to reformulate how I think about myself."
Swiatek believes her rivals have improved, rather than her own game having regressed.
"The level of tennis globally is getting higher and higher. The girls have studied my game and developed themselves," she said.
"Coco Gauff, who has always been a great talent, is older now and has more experience. Aryna [Sabalenka] managed to break through the semi-finals and began winning titles."
The 23-year-old has worked with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz for the past six years. Swiatek was asked whether she ever felt their collaboration had run its course.
"No. People don't realise it, but almost every year brings new challenges," she replied.
"When I was suspended, I didn't want to step onto the court at all for a few weeks. It was the most difficult experience of my career. Daria is a constant support for me – someone I trust. This is my team, and I decide who's in it.
"I get irritated by headlines talking about breakdowns or mental crises. Of course, sometimes I get frustrated on court. Sometimes I'm not as focused as I'd like to be.
"But I work, day in and day out, week in and week out, to improve. So there's no reason to make strange judgements or look for signs of fatigue or burnout."