Iga Swiatek shoots down criticism of coach Wim Fissette following lop-sided loss to Coco Gauff at Madrid Open

After suffering a humiliating loss to Coco Gauff at the 2025 Madrid Open, Iga Swiatek has urged fans to to place the blame on her coach, Wim Fissette.

The Polish star was one of the favorites to lift the title at Madrid, and held an 11-3 record against Gauff prior to their meeting at Caja Magica. However, the American phenom had won the last two matches against Swiatek, and kept the momentum rolling with a dominant 6-1 6-1 semifinal victory over the defending champion.

Swiatek still optimistic on working relationship with Fissette

The defending Roland Garros champion began working with Fissette in October 2024, but is yet to win a title under the Belgian's tutelage. Fisette has worked with several Grand Slam champions in the past, including Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.

As Swiatek prepares for the upcoming Rome Open, the World No.2 spoke on her difficulty in overcoming Gauff. Furthermore, she stressed she was feeling positive on her partnership with Fissette, revealing she had improved in vital areas thanks to his mentoring.

"The match against Coco was very tough of course, I also felt a bit tired and I truly needed a day off without any obligations," said Swiatek. "I had a couple days off now so I think I'm in a much better place.
"With Fissette I have worked on a lot of things about my serve and forehand even though I have not always been able to show that on court. I feel like some things have been better thanks to the work with him."