Iga Swiatek is undoubtedly one of the top tennis stars of her generation, however, is currently suffering through something of a rough patch.
After all, whilst she is still making it deep in many illustrious tournaments, in previous years her unflinching mentality would have seen her win these events. Now, she is due to go longer than 12 months without lifting a title.
And yet, despite this drought, Wim Fissette still believes in his player.
In fact, he has recently been outlining just how much of a trailblazer she really is, as someone who has redefined the women’s game during her short time at the top of it.
Wim Fissette praises Iga Swiatek for changing women’s tennis
Interviewed live on TNT Sports by the US panel, they were delighted to have snagged Iga Swiatek’s esteemed coach for a brief chat ahead of yesterday’s showpiece match.
And, after talking about the conditions and the game plan, which unfortunately did not come off, Fissette then turned his attention to how the former world number one differs from his past players.
He noted: ‘Well, I think, first of all, Iga changed women’s status.
‘I think for the last for the last years, the way she moves on the court, the athlete she is, going from defence to offence, I think that’s was really special how she did it. But also her consistency throughout the tournaments. That’s really rare.
‘But in that way, I also feel she’s special because it doesn’t matter if we are here at Roland Garros, or if we are in Doha or Stuttgart. Her preparation, her concentration, her effort is always the same.
‘Like, it doesn’t it does not matter. And with other players, there were, let’s say more focus on the Grand Slams.
‘So you could feel like, oh, we’re on the Grand Slam, like, I see a bit more effort on the training, I see more focus. But for her, it’s just standard. Like her standards are just there and that obviously makes it easy because we never have to push her.’
Given that Fissette has worked with stars like Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka, this is high praise indeed.
Iga Swiatek was beaten badly by Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open
Sabalenka has been the best player in the world for well over a year now, but at the French Open, there was hope that it might prove an equaliser.
After all, the Belarusian had only reached the semi-finals of this event once before this year, whilst Swiatek had dominated.
A four-time champion, her aura and unwavering mindset on the Parisian dirt promised to turn this clash into a spectacle for those inside Philippe Chatrier and beyond.
However, despite dragging it into a third set, the manner in which the match then unfolded was tough to watch.
Sabalenka crushed every ball on serve and return, winning 6-0 to dump Swiatek out of her favoured tournament. Andy Roddick admitted he was stunned by Sabalenka’s performance in that semi-final, particularly in that bruising third set.
Now, the former world number one will have to watch as Coco Gauff battles the 27-year-old for her crown. Fissette, as complimentary as he has been, has some serious work to do.
