Iga Swiatek won't be playing at the 2024 Wuhan Open, and that news comes shortly after the Polish player parted ways with her coach of three years, Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Swiatek and Wiktorowski worked together for three years, and it was a tremendously successful partnership. The Polish player became one of the best players in the world under Wiktorowski and maintained that status for a very long time.
She improved her tennis overall, won 37 matches in a row at one point, and just became almost an unbeatable force on the WTA Tour. It didn't seem like things were going badly this year either, as she dominated the clay season, winning multiple trophies.
She might not have the Olympic gold, nor did she play well during the US Open, but overall, it was a really strong showing for the Polish player. Still, it seems like there was trouble in paradise because Swiatek withdrew from several events recently.
She didn't play in Seoul at the Korean Open, and she didn't make the trip to Beijing for the China Open either, despite being the defending champion. Now, she won't play at the Wuhan Open either.
The news came quite quickly after Swiatek announced that she parted ways with her coach, surprising many people. What's even more interesting is that Swiatek confirmed in her withdrawal that she's withdrawing from the Wuhan Open because there was a significant change in her support team, which was the split from her coach.
She further apologized to the fans for not being able to play in China this year, but she basically said that she needed more time.
"After an important change in my sports team, I decided to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan. I’m really sorry for fans in China and those who wait to see me play, but I hope you understand that I need some time."
If Swiatek is certain that she won't play in China anymore, then there aren't many events that she can play until the end of the year. It's just the WTA Finals for the Polish player, so it seems like she will be taking a minor break from the Tour, something she called for many times.
It makes sense because parting with her coach of three years is certainly not easy. Most of her greatest achievements in her tennis career happened under him, and replacing that kind of person won't be easy.
This is the second high-profile coaching split we've seen in recent weeks after Coco Gauff. Unlike the Polish player, Gauff opted to play immediately and use these events as a live practice under new coach, Matt Dally.
Swiatek is taking a different approach to that, and maybe she just needs the break. She played a lot of tennis this year with very little downtime, so perhaps this is a great chance to pursue that.
0 Comments