Wim Fissette has coached many top WTA players over the years including Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters.
Fissette coached Osaka until September last year over two spells, winning four Grand Slam titles together.
Just a month later, Fissette joined Swiatek’s team with the pair enjoying relatively mixed results since working together.
After Swiatek beat Danielle Collins at Wimbledon to reach the fourth round, Fissette has compared his two most recent coaching tenures.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesWim Fissette explains what he has found different about coaching Iga Swiatek compared to Naomi Osaka
When speaking to Access All England for Wimbledon.com, Fissette discussed the differences between coaching Swiatek and Osaka.
Fissette claimed that coaching the two multiple-time Grand Slam champions is ‘like day and night’, revealing that Swiatek likes to be told everything she is doing wrong.
“I have my way of coaching, things I try to do with all my players, a certain way of looking at the technique and the tactics,” said Fissette. “Then there is the personal side. Coming from Naomi (Osaka) to Iga is like day and night, the approach, their personalities are completely different.
“You cannot go from zero to 100 within a month. The player has to figure things out themselves too, get trust and confidence with a coach too.
“Iga just wants super direct information, facts, she wants to hear everything, even if it’s not good, to be corrected on every ball. If that works for her, it’s up to me to do that. It’s important to keep that for a player who had already won five Grand Slams.”
Since Fissette has changed his alliance, Swiatek has not played Osaka, who is now coached by Patrick Mouratoglou.
Wim Fissette reveals how Iga Swiatek has dealt with expectations
After failing to win a title since Roland Garros in 2024, Swiatek recently fell down the WTA rankings to her lowest rank since 2022.
She is now back up at world number four, and Fissette has explained how Swiatek sets the expectations for herself.
Swiatek went on a 37-match winning streak in 2022, and Fissette revealed that she still sometimes speaks about that achievement.
“She speaks about it sometimes,” said Fissette. “For her, it’s a few years later, realising how impressive that is.
“It’s a good thing the expectations are there, because it means you are doing things right. It’s just about finding ways to deal with pressure.
“Iga in the last three or four years has been doing that really well. It was clear a few tournaments this year, she found that more difficult, but she’s human, I think it’s part of her development, she’s still super young. It’s ok to have a difficult time.”
Swiatek will hope that she can manage those expectations at Wimbledon, as she plays Clara Tauson for a place in the quarter-finals.
AloJapan.com