Iga Swiatek coach split: Barbara Schett says star 'needs a different pair of eyes' ahead of Australian Open
By Oli Gent
Updated 23/10/2024 at 13:44 GMT+1
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Eurosport expert Barbara Schett has said that Iga Swiatek "needs a different pair of eyes" to help the world No. 1 recapture her best form after an indifferent 2024. The Pole won a fourth French Open title, but exited Wimbledon and the US Open early towards the end of the year, and was forced to settle for a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics after her defeat to Zheng Qinwen.
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Eurosport expert Barbara Schett believes a total reset is what Iga Swiatek needs after being “really disappointed” with the world No. 1’s performances at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Swiatek split with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski on Friday after three years together, winning four Grand Slam titles and becoming the world’s top-ranked player in that time.
However, the Pole’s form dipped towards the end of the year, and she crashed out of Wimbledon and the US Open early despite being the top seed at both tournaments.
She was also forced to settle for bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, after she was beaten in the semi-finals by Zheng Qinwen, the eventual gold medallist.
In 2024, despite lifting the French Open trophy for a fourth time, she has not hit the heights of 2022, when she won 37 times in a row.
Eurosport’s Schett believes that Swiatek is right to want to focus on improving her game away from clay, her preferred surface.
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“Iga Swiatek might be No. 1 in the world, [but] she still wants to develop her game outside of clay, [for example] on grass and hard,” Schett said. “Let's face it, it hasn’t really happened in the last year or two.
“She is looking for something different; an outside look, because at this level every percentage counts.
“I am not surprised she is searching for somebody from abroad and not from Poland. She needs a different pair of eyes and different stimulations. I was really disappointed with the way she played at Wimbledon and at the US Open, where she was so one-dimensional and could not adjust tactically.
“She was going for it but not really seeking solutions. She definitely can develop her game even more and learn when to pull back and when to go for it.”
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