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Former World No.1 Iga Swiatek is all set to play her maiden Wimbledon final against Amanda Anisimova on July 12 (Saturday). One of the major reasons for the Pole's newfound form on grass courts is the presence of her able team, which is headed by her coach, Wim Fisette.
Iga Swiatek welcomed Fisette to her team late last year, ending her extremely successful collaboration with Tomasz Wiktorowski. Fisette is one of the most respected names when it comes to coaching on the WTA circuit, as he has worked with multiple players who had been former No. 1 players. He has won Major titles with the likes of Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, and Kim Clijsters, among others.
However, Fisette's arrival has coincided with a year-long title drought for Swiatek. The Pole last won a title on Tour at the French Open last year. Since then, she had reached multiple semifinals but had come up short almost every time, including against Madison Keys in Melbourne and Aryna Sabalenka in Paris this year.
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The new hiring's major objective was for Swiatek to get more success outside the clay courts. When Fisette joined her team last year, he pointed out the Pole's serve and forehand, which were technical liabilities on faster surfaces. The Belgian coach pointed out that the former World No.1 focused more on her opponent's game style rather than her own on the faster surfaces.
"For sure our goal is to do better on the faster services, if we can improve the serve a bit,” the 44-year-old said. “I think on the fast surfaces sometimes she is trying to play the game of the fast players instead of keeping to her own game and going a bit further back. Her serve—it’s clear there is room for improvement, but I also think the forehand can be heavier and faster, and we can add elements of variation to her game," said Fisette in an interview.
The Wimbledon final is only the second final for Switek under Fisette's coaching, after reaching the final at Bad Homburg, where she lost against Jessica Pegula.
Iga Swiatek's run to the Wimbledon final has been excellent
Seeded as low as eighth, Iga Swiatek was not a part of the conversation regarding pre-tournament favorites before Wimbledon. However, she gradually worked her way through the draw, beginning with a 7-5, 6-1 against Polina Kudermetova in the first round, and then winning 5-6, 6-2, 6-1 against Katy McNally in the second round.
One significant stride for Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon was her 6-2, 6-3 win over former Top-10 player Danielle Collins in the third round. The exit of Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff in the earlier rounds paved the way for Swiatek for a deep run, and she won 6-4, 6-1 against Clara Tauson in the fourth round and then won 6-2, 7-5 against Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals.
Swiatek's most complete performance in the tournament came in the semifinal, as she won 6-2, 6-0 against former Top-5 player Belinda Bencic. This would be the first time Swiatek would face Anisimova on the senior WTA Tour, having lost against the American once in their junior career.
