Iga Swiatek’s WTA rival backs ‘smart’ decision to split with coach Wim Fissette
Iga Swiatek’s decision to split with coach Wim Fissette has been praised as the “smart” call by former world No 7 and long-time rival Danielle Collins.
World No 3 Swiatek announced her split from Fissette earlier this week, with the Pole parting ways from the Belgian after a partnership which initially started in October 2024.
Under Fissette’s guidance, Swiatek surged back into form and lifted her sixth Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, later winning further titles at the Cincinnati Open and Korea Open.
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However, the 24-year-old has not reached a tour-level final since her triumph in Seoul last September, and her form has been patchy across the start of her 2026 campaign.
Defeat to Magda Linette in the second round of the Miami Open ultimately brought an end to Swiatek’s partnership with Fissette, with the former world No 1 tasting her first opening-match defeat since the 2021 WTA Finals.
Few know about the challenge of facing Swiatek as much as 2022 Australian Open runner-up Collins, who is currently on an extended break from the WTA Tour.
The American has played the world No 3 on ten separate occasions, winning twice, with the two often thought to share a tense relationship.
However, during an appearance on Tennis Channel this week, Collins revealed that she thought Swiatek had made the correct decision to enfore a coaching change.
Collins said: “I think at this point, with the results that she’s had, it makes sense trying to switch things up and looking to go into a different direction.
“I think it’s to be expected; there’s no player who works with the same exact coach, really, throughout their entire career. You learn by working with other people, and you get different perspectives.
“If you just work with one person your whole life, you’re not going to get the same type of evolvement.
“I think it’s smart on her end.”
Swiatek’s long-time physio, Maciej Ryszczuk, has confirmed in a recent interview that the Pole plans to have a new coach in place by the time she returns to action at the Women’s Stuttgart Open, her opening clay-court event of the year.
Clay has been the most dominant surface of Swiatek’s career, though she did not win a title on the surface in 2025 — with her 26-match unbeaten streak at the French Open snapped by Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s semi-final.
The world No 3 is a two-time champion at the indoor WTA 500 event in Stuttgart, lifting the title in 2022 and 2023, though she was beaten in the semi-final in 2024, and the quarter-final in 2025.
It has also been reported that Swiatek will train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca ahead of her return to action in April.
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