Iga Swiatek Fires Coach & Withdraws from Wuhan WTA 1000

Iga Swiatek parted ways with her coach before withdrawing from the Wuhan WTA 1000.
Nov 6, 2023; Cancun, Mexico; Iga Swiatek (POL) reacts to a point during her match against Jessica Pegula (USA) on day nine of the GNP Saguaros WTA Finals Cancun. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images
Nov 6, 2023; Cancun, Mexico; Iga Swiatek (POL) reacts to a point during her match against Jessica Pegula (USA) on day nine of the GNP Saguaros WTA Finals Cancun. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-Imagn Images / Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

After a strong start to the year, the wheels are starting to come off for World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Earlier today, Swiatek announced that she was parting ways with her coach of three seasons Tomas Wiktorowski.

Swiatek announced the decision with a multi-part story on her Instagram. "After 3 years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part way. I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together."

She continued, "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."

She concluded, "Coach, THANK YOU, I wish you all the best. I know that you would like to rest after these three years of hard work and traveling a lot and spending some well deserved time with your loved ones and I hope you'll get what you need."

However, Swiatek was not finished breaking news. A few hours later, she withdrew from the Wuhan Open WTA 1000 tournament, which starts on Saturday, October 5.

The tournament shared Swiatek's statement, "After an important change in my sports team, I decided to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan. I’m really sorry for fans in China and those who wait to see me play, but I hope you understand that I need some time."

The decision for Swiatek to withdraw from Wuhan is not surprising. She recently withdrew from the China Open WTA 1000 in Beijing due to "personal reasons." Earlier this year, Swiatek warned about playing too many tournaments causing injuries.

The success Swiatek and Wiktorowski shared is undeniable. She won 19 of her 22 WTA titles with him as her coach, including this year's French Open. Swiatek has a record of 54-7 with five singles titles this year.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.