Swiatek lining up a drastic coaching change

Iga Swiatek’s recent absence from the WTA Asian swing might be explained by the announcement that the world No. 1 is hunting a new head coach.

The Pole who took over the top ranking spot for the first time in 2022 revealed she will be branching out and taking a foreign mentor for the first time to replace fellow Pole Tomasz Wiktorowski.

The winner of four of the last five editions at Roland Garros has not competed since losing a US Open quarter-final to Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek skipped the China Open in Beijing due to what she called “personal reasons.”Swiatek dropped the news on Instagram:  “Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game.

“His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.

“Our main goal was to become No.1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first.

“We aimed very high, we headed to every tournament with a clear goal to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments and 4 Grand Slams.”

She added: “Coach, THANK YOU, I wish you all the best. I know that you would like to rest after these 3 years of hard work and traveling a lot and spend some well deserved time with your loved ones and I hope you’ll get what you need.”

“I’m in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish), because I’m ready to take the next step in my career. I will let you know when I make a decision.