We all thought once Iga Swiatek made the necessary adjustments to her coaching camp this year, the Pole would focus on getting rid of her dropped performance, and not squander time looking for a better fit in her team. However, that didn’t work out as we expected. Moments ago, it was announced that the Polish sensation brought into effect another change to her team.
After enjoying a fruitful four-year partnership with former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, Swiatek concluded their alliance on October 4. Days later, the Pole added Naomi Osaka‘s ex-coach Wim Fissette as her new coach, believing she could extend her domain outside the red clay under his tutelage. But, things didn’t go according to plan. Following her US Open quarterfinal loss, she was eliminated from the season-ending WTA Finals in the knockout stages. And, her Asian hardcourt swing results? She was forced to skip the rubber due to her doping ban.
Swiatek was slapped with a one-month ban after ITIA and the WTA announced that the Polish No. 1 was found to have had trimetazidine (TMZ) in her system, shortly before she commenced her Cincinnati Masters campaign. As a result, she served 22 days of her ban during the Asian swing. After enduring such a problematic phase, Swiatek has now brought about another change to her team before she kicks off the 2025 season.
A verified user on X recently notified fans that “After almost 4 years the cooperation between Iga and her PR manager Paula Wolecka is coming to an end. Daria Sulgostowska became Iga’s new PR manager.
Although Swiatek has successfully served her doping ban, no one is happy about how things turned out for the Polish superstar. Even Novak Djokovic‘s PTPA came down hard on the WTA’s ruling on her case.
Novak Djokovic’s PTPA criticizes Iga Swiatek’s doping ban ruling
Moments after the WTA labeled Iga Swiatek’s one-month doping ban as an ‘unfortunate incident’ in their official statement, the PTPA (Professional Tennis Players Association), founded by Novak Djokovic, hit back at the WTA for failing to uphold sporting standards for tennis players. Despite the WTA offering support to the Pole following the doping scandal’s aftermath, PTPA’s executive director Ahmad Nassar lamented their response via social media.
Is Iga Swiatek’s constant team shuffle a sign of desperation or a strategic move for 2025?
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He said, “I’m sorry. This was not an “unfortunate incident. A real unfortunate incident is something you cannot control. Tennis can – and should! – no, must! – control its anti-doping process. Athletes indeed face ‘challenges.’ Like, the weather. And their opponents. But the messy, tennis-establishment-imposed anti-doping process is not some ‘challenge’ athletes must overcome. That’s a cop-out.”
With merely eight days left in her suspension, Swiatek will be able to return to the circuit in 2025 and, with it, mark her appearance in the season-commencing United Cup, the lead-up event to the Australian Open in January.
