Tennis Rumor: Iga Swiatek’s Coach’s Dual Role Emerges as a ‘Conflict of Interest’ as It Adds More Fuel to the Newly Formed Partnership.

I’m happy to announce that Wim Fissette is joining our team” – Ever since Iga Swiatek made this announcement, there have been a series of comments that have been coming in from several experts on this topic. Former players, like Andy Roddick, highlighted the difficulties of stepping into a coaching role in the middle of a season. That too, with a player as meticulous and talented as Swiatek! He raised a few question marks, asking, “Do you want to make a bunch of changes? Are you trying things out for the rest of the year?…” Recently, another former player, Dominique Monami brought up a completely different angle surrounding Fissette’s new role in Iga Swiatek’s team.

Swiatek has already started training under the new coach and she will be next seen in action at the WTA Finals in November in Riyadh. After that, Iga Swiatek will also take part in the BJK CUP finals in Malaga, and this is exactly where we’re now finding some people raising their eyebrows. With Wim Fissette being the captain of Belgium at the BJK Cup and him also being the coach of Swiatek, will there be a “conflict of interest?” Belgium’s local media claim that already the situation is a bit “delicate” on this topic in their nation. Now, Monami speaks about the same in a recent interview on the Belgian website dhnet.be.

Belgium has failed to qualify for the BJK Finals, so they’ll be playing play-offs in the next month. They’ll fly to Guangzhou, China to play offs without their star players- Elise Mertens and Greet Minnen. Speaking on the whole scenario surrounding Wim Fissette, the 51-year-old Belgian added, “Since taking over as captain, Wim Fissette has never been able to count on Elise. It’s a delicate situation, especially when the captain is also the coach of a tour player. We somehow find ourselves in the awkward position of sitting next to a coach who manages a potential opponent. This creates a conflict of interest and can cause tension that is unhealthy and can influence the girls’ decisions.”

She also raised a few question marks by stating, “If I were in Wim’s place, I would look for solutions, but maybe he doesn’t have the tools due to this conflict of interests. Moreover, since Wim Fissette has become Iga Swiatek’s coach, the inevitable question arises: will he continue to hold both positions? We can wonder what his motivation is and whether the Polish woman, who is very ambitious, will accept it.” Being one of the most sought-after coaches in the Tour has quite a few challenges on its own.