
There are still some who think that Iga Swiatek struggles off clay, but the numbers confirm how wrong we are. In this 2025 Australian Open, the Polish player has reached the semifinals only dropping 14 games in five matches, proving that she has started the season on fire. After defeating an American (Emma Navarro) and before facing another (Madison Keys), the world No. 2 shared some insights about her new connection with Wim Fissette and her approach to the competition.
Another day at the office
“I am proud that I have been doing the same job throughout the tournament, always with the same intensity, pushing my opponents from the beginning until the end of my matches. Surely today's match was much tougher than the scoreboard shows, so I am happy to be in the semifinals.”
The aspect where she has improved the most with Fissette
“I wouldn't say mental strength, as this is something I needed to bring from the past. What I am happy about is being allowed to decide on what I wanted to work on, focusing solely on tennis. When you have a new coach, you need to be prepared for some changes, so I kept an open mind to keep working on court; that surely helped me a lot. Overall, I think Wim is quite supportive, with a lot of experience working with other players, so he understands perfectly what tennis players go through sometimes.”
Keys in the semifinals
“I just found out who my next opponent will be, so I will do the usual work with Wim to define the tactics. I know she likes to play with a lot of intensity and quite fast, using her weapons well, especially on hard courts. I will need to be ready for that and be proactive, also in defense. It is the semifinals, whoever your opponent is, it means they deserve to be there, so it will always be tough, whatever happens, I will try to do my best.”
Reigning beyond clay
“Until a certain point in my career, I wasn't exploring Grand Slams as much, just Roland Garros. Right now, I am happy to be playing well here, last year my journey ended very early, so I feel more confident this time. Surely my experience in Junior Grand Slams helped me when I turned pro; in a way, I knew what to expect. It is also true that at the beginning, I was quite inexperienced, although I always focused a lot on these tournaments, putting a lot of effort into the early rounds, where the draws are a bit more forgiving.”
The challenge of winning on all surfaces
“I have always wanted to improve on surfaces other than clay; I know that each week the conditions are different, that a different story awaits me. This year, I felt that I had to focus a lot on the work, having the same mindset in matches and training, just thinking about getting better point by point, which seems to be working. It's not that I have to prove anything to anyone, but I do not need to believe in myself. Now I feel that I believe more.”
New coach, new message?
“It depends a lot on the coach and what they tell you; it's not like Wim came and from the start imposed a way of playing on me, it doesn't work like that. Working with Wim is more of an evolution than a revolution; I wasn't looking for someone to turn my tennis upside down or do some crazy things. I wanted to improve some things that obviously were enhanced thanks to me and also to his help. I am the one making decisions on court, so it's much easier when you can use your instincts. If you overthink, that's when it won't go well, but sometimes it happens. Wim never told me anything that could confuse me, so everything is going great so far.”
Only 14 games lost in five matches
“On the tennis court, you need to be ruthless, although this word is often understood by people as something negative. In my case, it simply means focusing on myself, maintaining the same attitude regardless of the score; that is very important. This is the idea I base myself on; my strength and consistency are the foundations of my game, of everything I do on the court. It might seem ruthless, but it is not my goal to be so. I just want to win more and more matches; this is the effect I carry over from previous matches.”
This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Swiatek, un ciclón hasta semifinales: “En la pista hay que ser despiadada”