Andy Roddick makes his feelings known about Iga Swiatek's new coach Wim Fissette
Andy Roddick recently shared his thoughts on Iga Swiatek's decision to hire Wim Fissette as her new coach. She had announced her decision to part ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski on October 4 before hiring Wim Fissette a few weeks later.
Swiatek has had an exceptional 2024 season so far, clinching five titles, including the BNP Paribas Open, Madrid Open, and the French Open. She last competed at the 2024 US Open, reaching the quarterfinals before facing defeat to eventual runner-up Jessica Pegula.
Following her run at the New York Slam, the five-time Grand Slam winner was slated to compete in the Asian swing but withdrew from the tournaments. She then announced her split from coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, with whom she had worked since 2021, and opted to hire Wim Fissette, who has previously coached notable players including Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, and Victoria Azarenka.
During an episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast shared on October 22, Roddick felt Wissette had a 'tough' job in his hands considering Swiatek's recent dominance.
“New coach coming in is maybe, I don't know, tougher because the player [Iga Swiatek] you're dealing with is currently number one and has been the best player in tennis for the last four years at scale,” Roddick said [11:12].
Roddick further speculated on what the Belgian's approach would be in terms of coaching Swiatek and other minute aspects, considering the fact that the Pole was in a setup that saw her achieve considerable success.
“But going into a very established team that has had a lot of success, that has seen the top of the mountain, wedging yourself in there. Do you want to make a bunch of changes ? Are you trying things out for the rest of the year ? These are all these big macro questions. Have they already signed a deal for two years? Is this a thing that they’re going to try for the rest of the year? There’s a lot of this stuff that we don’t totally know yet,” he added
Amid his reservations about the coaching change, Andy Roddick praised Iga Swiatek for being focused and holding a long-term goal behind her decision-making.
“I like the fact that there seems to be a focus, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s taking a break when you have to. I like that the long view seems to be the guiding factor for Swiatek right now,” he said [12:21].
Iga Swiatek's first tournament working alongside Wim Fissette will be WTA Finals 2024
![Iga Swiatek at US Open 2024 [Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/0e2d1-17296747937479-1920.jpg?w=500)
Iga Swiatek will start working with Wim Fissette from the 2024 WTA Finals, where she will be defending her title. The season-ending tournament is scheduled to begin on November 2 and run until November 9, 2024, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Swiatek, along with Aryna Sabalenka, Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Zheng Qinwen, and Barbora Krejcikova, have all qualified for this year's WTA Finals.
Last year, Iga Swiatek defeated Marketa Vondrousova 7-6, 6-0, Coco Gauff 6-0, 7-5, and Ons Jabeur 6-1, 6-2 in the group stages. The former World No.1 then went on to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals before ultimately triumphing over Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the championship match to claim the 2023 WTA Finals title.