Iga Świątek exited the WTA 1000 Miami Open with a heavy loss in the round of 64 against fellow Polish talent Magda Linette. Following the loss, she parted ways with her coach, Wim Fissette. These developments have prompted a response from Belgian Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters, who was previously coached by Fissette. She’s highlighted the multifaceted nature of Świątek’s coaching relationship and other significant points.
Kim Clijsters Reacts to Iga Świątek Parting Ways With Coach Wim Fissette
Świątek, who entered the Hard Rock Stadium as the second seed, was set to compete against former World No. 19 Linette, who defeated Varvara Gracheva in the round of 128. However, the Polish sensation fell short in securing the win, crashing out of the tournament with a substantial loss.
Following her Miami Open exit, the World No. 3 decided to end her coaching relationship with Fissette, who has been coaching her since Oct. 2024. Under his guidance, Świątek won the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, among other titles.
After the loss, Świątek also highlighted that it was the “worst nightmare” for any elite player, shedding light on her mental and physical challenges. These developments garnered the attention of Clijsters, who worked with Fissette during her sensational career from 2009 to 2011.
Through her recent episode of “Love All with Kim Clijsters” with tennis reporter Blair Henley, the WTA icon shed light on the situation from her experienced perspective, revealing many aspects of the mentor-mentee relationship and her thoughts on Świątek and Fissette.
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Clijsters began, “To Wim defense, when a player is mentally where she was at, I don’t think there’s a lot that you can say from the sideline, It’s a lot deeper. You come to a point that you can only, you have to look yourself in the mirror and make the changes and face your weaknesses.”
She continued, expressing that their relationship seemed strained: “I don’t know what Iga is like but there’s sometimes you want to have an open mind and but you could see that there was tension already for a few months and frustration and that natural kind of player coaching relationship wasn’t really where it should be at, and I think those were a couple of red flags.”
The Hall of Famer also shed light on the team’s dynamic, which is essential for a player to grow in their career. “On Wim side it’s also not easy to work in a team, where you have a mindset coach who is very close, right? Who’s always there, I feel like a good coach at times can also understand the mental side of it how to approach that. I think it’s not just the tennis part or the puzzle piece that you can just take out and replace by somebody else.”
Clijsters continued, reflecting that coaches and players need to have a mutual space to grow alongside each other, expressing: “I think it’s a very intimate kind of detailed, relationship where you have to be able to express yourself openly, and it’s not always easy, But personalities have to match and it’s a lot of things. But Wim is somebody who is, who is always on time. He’s very organized. He was very data-driven.”
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She ended by emphasizing Fissette’s limitations and talents: “I would say he’s maybe not the best technical coach. If you’re looking for somebody to change your forehand or do major things, that was probably not his strength. But I’m also talking about more than 10 years ago. He’s helped a lot of other players over time, and, yeah, that was my experience with him, basically.”
Under the notable Belgian coach and former player, Clijsters won two US Open titles, the 2010 WTA Tour Championships, and the 2011 Australian Open. Apart from coaching Świątek and Clijsters, Fissette has also coached Naomi Osaka, Sabine Lisicki, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Sara Errani, Zheng Qinwen, and other elite players.
