Iga Swiatek: “I Want To Feel Like A Wall Again” 

It has been a turbulent time for Iga Swiatek. She recently fired her coach Wim Fissette, after much deliberation, and has struggled out of the gates in 2026, going the first three months of the season without winning a title.

As the clay season – and all the pressure that comes with it – beckons, all eyes will be on Swiatek to see if she can recapture the form that has made her one of the greatest clay-court forces in women’s tennis history.

In an extensive interview by Radosław Leniarski for the Polish sports publication Sport.pl, Swiatek opened up about her dream coach and how she sees her game shaping up in the near term, as well as answering questions about her connection to Rafael Nadal and the criticism that a key member of her team, Daria Abramowicz, has faced lately. 

Here are some highlights of the interview with the six-time major champion: 

Quotes were translated from Polish to English via Twitter user @LukasFCB321

What Iga Wants From Herself and Her Tennis 

“I want to go back to solid foundations and feel like a wall on the court again—making no mistakes and forcing my opponents to make them. I’ve always had that. It was my advantage—I exerted pressure on the court, and it gave me the upper hand. I feel that tennis gives me the most pleasure when I am solid. When I’m not, I take unnecessary risks and make many more errors.

“I want to return to that solidity. But that requires work on the court. If someone doesn’t feel comfortable on the court, they should just work harder. There are also moments when everything starts to click—that’s when you can introduce new elements and learn new skills.

“I’d like to have more variety in my game and sometimes use what I do in training during matches—to have the courage to make those decisions. But for now, I’m focusing mainly on the first part: hard work and solidity.”

What Does the Ideal Coach Look Like? 

“The ideal coach should have very high skills—an “eye” for the game. An intuition for what the player needs, both in the short and long term. They must be able to make the right decisions: when to introduce new shots or exercises, when to start changes in the game, and when to build the game on the player’s strengths.

“Personality-wise, they should be understanding and have good communication skills because they need to be the leader of the team. They have to combine the work of everyone involved and make it all work together. It also has to be someone you simply enjoy spending time with, because tournaments are long and there’s quite a bit of downtime. Finding the right balance between all of this is key.”

What To Make of Criticism of Her Mental Coach?

Online critics have long complained that Daria Abramowicz has too much control over Swiatek’s career. She hit back at those critics, saying she is in charge of everything that happens within her team, then uttered the following words of support for Abramowicz.

“It is I who decides who I work with. And honestly, most of the negative things I’ve seen—I try not to read them, but some things reach me—are simply fake news and theories made up to cause a stir,” she said.

“Regarding the articles about Daria—for years, she was credited with my success on the court because it was possible, among other things, thanks to mental strength, and now, when there is a drop in form and results, suddenly she is to blame.”

Is Nadal Playing a Role in her Coaching Search? 

Some have speculated that Swiatek will prepare for the clay season at Rafael Nadal’s academy in Mallorca, and other rumors connect her with Francisco Roig as a possible next coach. We don’t know if it’s true. This is what Swiatek said when asked about a possible connection with Nadal during this transitional time in her career: 

“It’s well known—Rafa is my idol and basically the only person I watched playing tennis as a child. He was also kind enough to talk to me several times during his career and give me tips. He is someone I can turn to if I need help or have a problem to solve.

“Getting help from someone so experienced—essentially the best, the GOAT—is obviously a wonderful opportunity, and I will take it whenever I can. Rafa is very open. He’s a great person. The mere fact that I have his number and can contact him is a great honor for me. But honestly, whether he helped me [with the coach choice] or not, I’d like to keep that between us because he is part of that story. I wouldn’t want to put him in an awkward position.”