Iga Swiatek’s coach names her ‘toughest’ rival – and it’s not Aryna Sabalenka
Iga Swiatek’s coach Wim Fissette has named Elena Rybakina as the Pole’s toughest rival, ahead of the likes of Aryna Sabalenka.
World No 2 Swiatek has been the dominant force on the WTA Tour in recent seasons, with five Grand Slam titles and 125 weeks as the world No 1 to her name.
Few opponents have been able to cause the 23-year-old too many repeated issues, with Swiatek leading in head-to-heads against the majority of the WTA field.
Among those are current world No 1 Sabalenka, who she leads 8-4, and world No 3 Coco Gauff – who she has lost to only twice in 13 meetings.
However, current world No 6 and 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina has proven a repeated stumbling block for the reigning French Open champion.
The Kazakh ace is one of a small handful of players to have the edge over Swiatek in their head-to-head, leading 4-2.
Though Swiatek beat the former world No 3 in their first meeting in Ostrava three years ago and in the Doha final this season, Rybakina won back-to-back matches between the two at the Australian Open and Indian Wells in 2023.
— 1GA Daily (@shetookthem) December 13, 2024
Rybakina picked up a victory via retirement over the world No 2 in Rome last year, while battling past the Pole in three sets in Stuttgart this spring – currently the last meeting between the two.
Despite struggling to match Sabalenka’s consistency in recent years, the 25-year-old has proven a tricky obstacle for Swiatek over the years.
And, in a video produced by Przegląd Sportowy, Fissette – who began working with Swiatek this Autumn – recognised the challenge the Kazakh poses.
When asked for the name of Swiatek’s “toughest” opponent to beat, Fissette simply answered: “Rybakina.”
The Belgian, who previously coached the likes of Kim Clijsters and Angelique Kerber to Grand Slam success, also gave further insight into his views on shock.
Fissette answered that Swiatek’s biggest strength on court was her mentality, and then described his charge’s mentality as “tough”.
He also revealed his belief that Swiatek did not need to play more aggressively.
All eyes will be on the partnership next year, with only two events – the WTA Finals and Billie Jean King Cup Finals – so far under their belt.
Swiatek split with long-term coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in September following her US Open exit and then did not play again until the year-end championships – by which time she had hired Fissette.
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It was later revealed that Swiatek’s absence during the Asian swing was due to the world No 2 being provisionally suspended after a positive drug test in August 2024.
The Pole was provisionally suspended for three weeks before returning to court, ultimately being handed a one-month suspension after being found to be of “no significant fault” after testing positive for TMZ.
Swiatek has now served her one-month ban and will be back in action in less than two weeks, representing Team Poland at the United Cup from December 27th.
Under new coach Fissette, Swiatek will likely look to regain her world No 1 ranking from Sabalenka, as well as defend her Roland Garros crown and find more success at the other majors.
Swiatek is not the only high-profile star with a new coach heading into 2025, with Rybakina having enlisted the services of Goran Ivanisevic.
Rybakina and Ivanisevic, who previously worked with Novak Djokovic, began working together this off-season after the Kazakh confirmed the new partnership at the WTA Finals.
She had previously split from Stefano Vukov, her coach of five years, shortly before the US Open.
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