Iga Swiatek’s run to the Wimbledon final has been completely unexpected by most tennis fans, but she will feel that her year has been building towards this.
After all, 2025 has not been kind to the 24-year-old, with her trophy drought extending beyond 12 months, leaving many questioning her credentials at the top of the sport.
However, she has been consistently going deep at events, as one of just two players to have made it to the semi-finals of every Grand Slam this year.
There are many factors that could be contributing to her struggles to get things over the line, and a new coach will certainly be one that has added a new dynamic.
It’s refreshing to see Iga Swiatek stick by Wim Fissette’s side though, and she is now reaping the rewards of his teaching.
Iga Swiatek reveals early coaching struggles with Wim Fissette
It has not been an easy ride under his tutelage, with their working relationship beginning in November of last year.
And whilst they have therefore been together for nearly eight months now, there has hardly been time within that period to actually move away from competing in tournaments and focus solely on training.
This sport is relentless, and Swiatek has complained about the tennis schedule on numerous occasions.
However, making incremental improvements over this period has started to show signs of promise, despite the former world number one admitting she shared a rocky start with Fissette.
She told Polish media outlet, Polsatsport: “He had to convince me of many things, because it takes me quite a long time to even change the style of the game.
“There were a few things that just stopped working, and I actually reacted to it a little later than I planned.
“Wim had already told me about some changes before, but now, before the grass, we had a little more time to train. I also knew that he had more experience on this surface than I did. I went blindly to what he told me, and it has certainly paid off.”
Iga Swiatek is perfectly prepared for the US hard-court swing
Even if Swiatek does lose Saturday’s Wimbledon final, she should leave the All-England Club with nothing but pride.
Not only has she proved almost everyone wrong, but her season is well and truly back on track, reaching back-to-back grass-court finals on the surface that has historically been her least favourite.
People will go on about her title drought, but the fact of the matter is that in this, one of her toughest years in recent memory, she has reached every Grand Slam semi-final and is second in the yearly rankings, just behind Aryna Sabalenka.
If this is to be the worst period of her career, it’s quite frightening what she might go on to achieve in the near future.
This preparation should stand her in great stead to thrive upon returning to the hard courts and New York, the site of one of her many Grand Slam triumphs.
