Tranquility with Swiatek: "Whatever happens, she is already a legend"

Fernando Murciego | 16 Nov 2025 | 09.00

Wim Fissette talks about his work with Iga Swiatek. Source: Getty

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What did you think of Iga Swiatek's season? Would you say it was good, very good or could it have been better? At these levels of demand, it is complicated, so it was best to ask the Polish coach, Wim Fissette.

In a recent interview with sport.pl, we can hear the coach evaluating her performance at the recent WTA Finals in Riyadh, analyzing a 2025 season characterized by consistency but with few memorable weeks. There was one unforgettable week, at Wimbledon, where Iga Swiatek left her mark for posterity. Listening to Wim Fissette means understanding competition from a perspective beyond winning or losing, extracting positive aspects even from the harshest defeats.

"It was a very close match, decided by a few points," the Belgian comments on the recent loss at the WTA Finals against Anisimova. "I think the level was very high throughout most of the match, both served wonderfully, and the pace of play never dropped. The conditions in Riyadh are fast, the balls travel at great speed, so the first two shots are always crucial. These were the conditions from the start, challenging for Iga and somewhat favorable for the rest, especially for aggressive players like Rybakina, Sabalenka, and Anisimova," Fissette expands after seeing his player fail to advance past the group stage.

"This season we had a very tight schedule, not many weeks for training," he asserts after achieving a 62-16 record. "I think we are quite clear on what direction to take this preseason: we will focus on the serve and the return. I am pleased to see Iga serving with increasing speed, with more variety in placement, sometimes even incorporating topspin. This makes it less predictable, even in neutral situations after the second serve. Currently, most of the top 10 players serve with more power and effectiveness, which is why I emphasize the importance of the first two shots," insists the 45-year-old coach.

What is clear is that Swiatek has had more successful seasons than this 2025 one. What was the reason? There are several, although one clear factor was her step back from the return. "Mid-season, we decided to change the return position, both with the first and second serve. There were weeks where it worked very well, and others where it was more challenging to find the right spot. I consider it a transitional period, we are experimenting, trying to fine-tune everything and strive for perfection. We aim to add more variety, to see her more often at the net. It won't be a radical change, but rather gradual, although we will keep working intensively on baseline shots for Iga to remain dominant in rallies," states one of the most experienced mentors on the circuit.

These are Iga Swiatek's priorities in 2026

Despite not gathering as many titles as in previous years, the reality is that Swiatek managed to win a Grand Slam and finish World No. 2. Honestly, many would wish to have years as 'bad' as this one. This does not prevent the Polish player and her team from already thinking about the steps to take to move forward in 2026.

"The priorities have not changed, Iga wants to be the best in the world, so this is the goal of the entire team," summarizes Fissette. "We aim to win a Grand Slam tournament, although hopefully more than one. We also aspire to achieve more victories in WTA 1000 tournaments, aiming to get as close as possible to World No. 1, and we know perfectly well what we must do. Iga is still very young, she needs to improve gradually and incorporate new elements into her game. We will achieve this by balancing her calendar a bit more, having some additional weeks of training," highlights the coach.

We sometimes forget that Swiatek is only 24 years old, although she already boasts six Grand Slam titles, a WTA Finals trophy, and countless weeks at the top of the rankings. Her coach is right to remind us of the margin for error they have. "Whatever happens, Iga is already a legend. The 2025 season will always be special; you can win ten titles in a year, but the Wimbledon victory and the way it was achieved will be remembered for years. That can never be taken away; it was Iga's most spectacular performance," concludes the Belgian.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Tranquilidad con Swiatek: “Pase lo que pase, ya es una leyenda”