Iga Świątek’s coach, Wim Fissette, recently highlighted a key difference between Świątek and Naomi Osaka. He noted that while the Pole is a “ranking player,” Osaka was less interested in that aspect of the game.
In addition to coaching Świątek and Osaka, Fissette has trained other top players such as Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, Zheng Qinwen, and Angelique Kerber, among others.
Iga Świątek’s Coach Wim Fissette Points Out Difference Between Pole and Naomi Osaka
Fissette is currently in Paris with Świątek for the 2025 French Open. In a conversation with Ben Rothenberg, he was asked whether he would consider taking some time off during the season. In response, Fissette expressed that while taking time off in the middle of the season would be tempting, Świątek is a player who would not skip any tournaments because she is a “ranking player.”
Fissette noted that the five-time Grand Slam champion enjoys chasing rankings, similar to other players on the WTA Tour, such as Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, who rarely miss tournaments.
“I mean, I guess for me it would be. But she’s a ranking player. She loves the ranking and it’s great, I think, also for the WTA, that you have players like Sabalenka and her, and Coco: they’re chasing the ranking,” Fissette said.
Fissette pointed out that while players he previously worked with, like Osaka, were not focused on ranking points. He mentioned that the Japanese was more concerned with performing well in Grand Slam events.
The Belgian tennis coach also noted that Azarenka was focused on excelling in “big tournaments.” He emphasized that, in addition to her ambitions in Grand Slams and major events, Świątek likes competing in all mandatory tournaments to improve her ranking.
“Actually, the players I worked with in the past weren’t like that. Naomi was not interested; she was a Slam player. Vika was also really focused on the big tournaments. And even in the past, when I was with Kim, she came back just to win Slams; she was not really caring about 500s or something. But Iga is a ranking player, so I don’t see it happening,” he added.
Recently, Świątek has dropped in the WTA rankings, falling from World No. 2 to World No. 5 after failing to win a title this year. Leading up to the French Open, she competed at the Madrid Open and the Italian Open, where she was the defending champion in both events. She lost in the semifinals in Madrid and advanced only to the third round in Rome.
Iga Świątek Has Reached the Semifinals at the 2025 French Open
Świątek is the three-time defending champion at the 2025 French Open, having won the title in 2022, 2023, and 2024 by defeating Coco Gauff, Karolína Muchová, and Jasmine Paolini in the finals, respectively.
This year, Świątek is seeded fifth at the clay-court Major. She began her campaign by defeating Rebecca Šramková in the first round, winning 6-3, 6-3. In the second round, she overcame Emma Raducanu with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2.
The former World No. 1 went on to register a 6-2, 7-5 win against Jaqueline Cristian in the third round, followed by a comeback win of 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 against 12th seed Elena Rybakina in the fourth round. In the quarterfinals, she defeated 13th seed Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-5, earning a spot in the semifinals, where she will face top seed Sabalenka.
26 straight match-wins for Iga Swiatek 💪
The No.5 seed continued her domination in Paris with a straight-sets victory over Svitolina. Catch the highlights here 👇#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Cy3yG8SMzU
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2025
Świątek and Sabalenka have met 12 times on the WTA Tour, with the five-time Grand Slam champion winning eight of those matches. Their most recent encounter was in the semifinals of the 2024 Cincinnati Open, where Sabalenka emerged victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-3.
The winner of the semifinal match between Świątek and Sabalenka will advance to face either second seed Gauff or wildcard Loïs Boisson in the 2025 French Open final.
