Both women arrived in Riyadh with a recent coaching hire in tow. Gauff, after her spell with the high-profile Gilbert, has gone the under-the-radar route this time, adding former college player Matt Daly to her team. As for Swiatek, she has traded Wiktorowski for a well-known quantity in Wim Fissette, a 44-year-old Belgian who has coached Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and Zheng Qinwen, among others. It was probably only a matter of time before he got around to working with Iga.
While they went in different directions with their choice of mentors, Swiatek and Gauff sound like they’re looking for something similar from them. No. 1 on their lists is help with the serve. Two of their major rivals, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, win many more free points with their deliveries, while Gauff in particular gives away a lot of free points with double faults.
“I think it’s kind of obvious, I for sure want to improve my serve, as I’ve been doing for past years,” says Swiatek, who has abbreviated her motion and made her second serve less vulnerable. “I feel like I still need to continue that. For sure I’m not a complete player.”
