Aryna Sabalenka might benefit from Iga Swiatek's coaching change
By Lee Vowell
This year has seen several notable coaching changes on the WTA tour. Elena Rybakina has split with long-time coach Stefano Vukov, but there are likely more sordid details still to come out. Coco Gauff moved on from Brad Gilbert after just a year. Now, Iga Swiatek has announced she will no longer be coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Swiatek's move might be the most confusing. She and Wiktorowski have worked together since 2022, and Swiatek won 19 of her 22 titles. That includes four Grand Slam titles. The only major Swiatek has won without the coach was the 2020 French Open. Plus, the Pole has held the No. 1 ranking on the WTA tour for most of two years.
Swiatek did not seem to be struggling recently. She lost in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open, but that was her second-best showing at the event. She also won four Masters 1000 titles, tying for the most of her career.
Iga Swiatek has decided it is time for a coaching change and Aryna Sabalenka should be happy
As a reaction to the coaching change, Swiatek withdrew from the Wuhan Open, another 1000 tournament. She also pulled out of the China Open previously, so she dropped 1,000 points as she won the 2023 event. The Wuhan Open has not been played since 2019, so Swiatek has no points to defend at the tournament.
Still, her absence leaves open the door for Aryna Sabalenka to make up significant ground on the Pole. In the WTA live rankings, the Belarusian trails Swiatek by just over 1,000 points. Should Sabalenka win the Wuhan title, she would be awfully close to Swiatek.
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Swiatek has yet to announce a new coach and is seemingly searching globally for a new one. She must have wanted a new perspective on how to approach her game. She clearly is driven to remain at No. 1, but her withdrawals could cost her.
The year-end No. 1 ranking could come down to the WTA Finals, just as they did last year. Swiatek won that event. Should Sabalenka do better in 2024, she might be No. 1 heading into 2025.
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