Iga Swiatek Chooses Which Rival Which She Would Like To Be Her Coach In Future
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Many press conference questions are repetitive, but Iga Swiatek was asked something interesting at the 2025 Dubai Championships: Which of her rivals would she choose as a future coach?
Swiatek comfortably progressed to the quarterfinal at the WTA 1000 tournament with a straight-set victory against Dayana Yastremska. She also comprehensively defeated Victoria Azarenka in her opening round.
If the Pole wins her quarterfinal, she may face Elena Rybakina in the semifinal. The 2022 Wimbledon champion has been one of her most challenging matchups, although Swiatek beat her last week at the 2025 Qatar Open.
In the final, Swiatek could meet Aryna Sabalenka, but that was before the Belarusian surprisingly lost. The pair share an epic rivalry at the top of women's tennis, including playing one of the best WTA matches ever at the 2024 Madrid Open, which Swiatek won after saving three match points.
Coco Gauff, who lost in the opening round in Dubai, is another of Swiatek's top rivals. However, the four-time French Open champion has had the most problems against Jelena Ostapenko, losing all five meetings, including last week's Qatar Open semifinal.
Swiatek's list of rivals makes her answer about which she would pick as a future coach fascinating. The world No. 2 mentioned Andrea Petkovic as a former player she would like to work with before choosing between her current rivals.
"Petkovic is not playing anymore, but I always heard she had a really good eye and I like her, so I think we would get along. I don't know, maybe Aryna. She is older than me, so maybe she is going to finish earlier. Yeah, that would be fun."
Swiatek's choice of Sabalenka might be partially explained by their relationship and rivalry at the top of the WTA Tour. Many other rivalries in tennis history have been heated and animosity-filled, but they have avoided that.
Sabalenka admits she did not talk much to other players in her early years on the WTA Tour but is now more comfortable doing so. Swiatek was very introverted as a junior player, meaning she also did not naturally seek out friendships.
The first sign of Sabalenka and Swiatek getting along well was their collaboration on a TikTok video, which was received very positively by fans worldwide.
Swiatek and Sabalenka also trained together at the start of the season. That work might have given them a better insight into each other's games, if it was needed after the many times they have played on the WTA Tour.
The 23-year-old might not have considered Gauff because she is younger and has an 11-3 head-to-head record against the American. However, Gauff has won their last two meetings at the 2024 WTA Finals and the 2025 United Cup.
Despite her challenging recent form, Gauff is tactically astute and one of the mentally toughest players in the game. The 2023 US Open champion has fought to several victories despite severe issues with her second serve and forehand in a way few others could.
