No.1 Swiatek announces split with coach Wiktorowski; withdraws from Wuhan

World No.1 Iga Swiatek has announced the end of her three-year coaching partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski. Swiatek announced the news on Instagram on Friday.

"After 3 years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part way," Swiatek wrote. "I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together."

Swiatek hired Wiktorowski, the long-time coach of former World No.2 at the end of the 2021 season. Under Wiktorowski's tutelage, Swiatek went on to capture four of her five Grand Slams, ascend to World No.1, and engineer the longest win streak of the 2000s, reeling off 37 consecutive wins in 2022. Together, they captured 19 of her 22 career titles and an Olympic silver medal this past summer. 

Last year, Wiktorowski was voted the WTA's Coach of the Year by his peers.

"Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game," Swiatek wrote. "His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I've never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.

"Our main goal was to become No.1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first. We aimed very high, we headed to every tournament with a clear goal to win it. Together with coach Wiktorowski we won many tournaments and 4 Grand Slams."

Swiatek withdrew from this week's China Open, where was a defending champion, and next week's Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open. This year, she has won four WTA 1000 titles this year at Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, as well as her fifth major title at Roland Garros. She has qualified for her fourth consecutive WTA Finals in Riyadh, which will be played in November.

She confirmed in her post that she is in the midst of the process of hiring a new coach.

"Due to this important change on my team, I give myself a couple of weeks to start a cooperation with a new coach," she wrote. "I'm in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish) because I'm ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision."

According to Swiatek's post, the decision to end her work with Wiktorowski was mutual and amicable.

"Coach, THANK YOU, I wish you all the best," Swiatek wrote. "I know that you would like to rest after these 3 years of hard work and traveling a lot and spending some well deserved time with your loved ones and I hope you'll get what you need."