"I was practicing with this girl 3 years younger" - Iga Swiatek's coach Wim Fissette reveals unknown details of relationship with Kim Clijsters

Iga Swiatek's coach, Wim Fissette, shared an anecdote from his early tennis days when he trained with a three-year younger Kim Clijsters. He also noted that kids nowadays, especially boys, would never train with younger girls, but Fissette and Clijsters' partnership was in good sync.

Iga Swiatek worked with Tomasz Wiktorowski from 2021 to 2024 until parting ways with him in October last year and joining the likes of the legendary Wim Fissette. The Belgian coach, who previously worked with some of the top WTA players like Naomi Osaka and Kim Clijsters, turned the Pole's drug ban nightmare into a dream, helping her to her first Wimbledon title, while bringing significant changes to her footwork on grass.

As Iga Swiatek geared up for the final Grand Slam outing in Flushing Meadows, Wim Fissette turned his attention from the Pole to share an anecdote of his early life. Having trained the four-time major singles titlist, Kim Clijsters, the 45-year-old discussed the years he reigned on top in his country, but trained with his three-year-younger player, Clijsters.

He also playfully noted that boys nowadays would never train with girls younger than them.

"My biggest training partner, six days from, from seven, was Kim Clijsters. And it's funny when I think about it now because I was three years older and I was kind of like the top of my country when I was practicing with this girl that was like three years younger, you know? Like... you know, like I I hear also in the club now where my kids are practicing like the parents usually would say like, no way, like my my son is not going to practice with a girl that's three years younger." (via Tennis Insider Club podcast. (8:32)

Clijsters held the top rank in both women's singles and doubles and was one of the early rivals of Serena Williams.

Wim Fissett shared his experience of training Iga Swiatek and how detail-oriented the Pole is

Iga Swiatek and Fissette at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open presented by Rogers - (Source: Getty)

Swiatek was not in her best form earlier in 2025, facing semifinal exits at the Australian Open and Indian Wells and failing to defend her Madrid and Italian Open titles, besides her Roland Garros win for the second time. However, she reached her career-best grass-court form in Wimbledon, claiming her first major title in London.

When the tournament was midway, her coach, Wim Fissette, explained how Swiatek wanted supervision on every ball during training to improve herself each day.

"Iga just wants super direct information, facts, she wants to hear everything, even if it's not good, to be corrected on every ball. If that works for her, it's up to me to do that. It's important to keep that for a player who had already won five Grand Slams.”

Iga Swiatek, who boasts six major singles titles, will next be in action at the National Bank Open Round of 64, slated to compete against Guo Hanyu on July 29, 2025.