Swiatek Defends Coach and Psychologist Despite Disappointing Results

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 6, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek during a press conference REUTERS/Yves Herman
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 6, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek during a press conference REUTERS/Yves Herman
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Swiatek Defends Coach and Psychologist Despite Disappointing Results

Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 6, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek during a press conference REUTERS/Yves Herman
Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 6, 2025 Poland's Iga Swiatek during a press conference REUTERS/Yves Herman

Iga Swiatek has failed to win a tournament in almost a year, but the Polish world number two has defended her coach and psychologist despite the poor run of results and losing her place at the top of the world rankings in a difficult period.
Swiatek parted ways with her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski in October after three years, adding Belgian Wim Fissette to her team and in November accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for banned substance trimetazidine.
The five-time Grand Slam winner has drawn a blank since winning last year's French Open, and her latest result saw Swiatek lose her Madrid Open title in a crushing 6-1 6-1 semi-final defeat to Coco Gauff last week.
"Sometimes I'm not happy with the way I play. It's natural, especially with my perfectionism. This can be seen on the court," Swiatek told Polish media outlet SportoweFakty in an interview.
"However, when I come off it, I can look at the season from a broader perspective.
"Then I find a lot of positives. Reaching the quarter-finals or semi-finals is a good result. Again, I am the most even player of the whole season."
According to Reuters, Swiatek was asked if new coach Fissette was responsible for the lack of success.
"No, this is a very harsh and unfair statement," Swiatek said.
"I can only look at the coach from my own perspective, which is the only right one for me, that is, what our work looks like every day.
"The worse results coincided with many other challenges in recent months, also in family life. I found myself at a stage of my career where I had to reformulate my thinking about myself.
Swiatek believes others have improved rather than her regressing.
"The level of tennis in the world is getting higher and higher. The girls got to know my game, they developed themselves," Swiatek said.
"Coco Gauff, who has always been a great talent, is older today and has more experience. Aryna (Sabalenka) managed to make it through the semi-finals and began to win titles."
The 23-year old has been working with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz for the last six years and Swiatek was asked if there was a moment when she thought their cooperation had run its course.
"No. People don't know it, but practically every year there are different challenges," Swiatek replied.
"When I was suspended, I didn't want to go out on the court at all for a few weeks. It was the most difficult experience of my career. Daria is a constant support for me, a person I trust. This is my team, I decide who is in it.
"I am irritated by headlines talking about falling apart or a mental crisis. Of course, sometimes I get annoyed on the court. Sometimes I'm not as focused as I'd like.
"But I work, day in and day out, week in and week out, to be better. So there is no reason to make strange judgements or look for fatigue or burnout."



South American Clubs Still Lack Killer Instinct, Say FIFA Experts

 Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group A - Inter Miami CF v Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, US - June 23, 2025 FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger before the match. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group A - Inter Miami CF v Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, US - June 23, 2025 FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger before the match. (Reuters)
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South American Clubs Still Lack Killer Instinct, Say FIFA Experts

 Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group A - Inter Miami CF v Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, US - June 23, 2025 FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger before the match. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group A - Inter Miami CF v Palmeiras - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, US - June 23, 2025 FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger before the match. (Reuters)

The gulf between South American and European teams may not be as wide as expected at the Club World Cup, but a clear gap still exists in their efficiency in front of goal, according to FIFA technical experts.

Arsene Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, and Juergen Klinsmann, former Germany and US national team coach, were speaking at a round table on Saturday as the tournament enters its knockout phase.

"At the start of the competition, many opponents seemed to fear playing against the European teams," Wenger said.

"But as things progressed - especially the Brazilians - they began to realize it might not be so different after all."

Flamengo and Botafogo beat European teams during the group phase of the 32-team competition, with the latter's 1-0 victory over European champions Paris St Germain standing out.

Wenger said growing belief, especially among Brazilian sides, has shifted the dynamic heading into the last 16.

"Maybe it's also because they've gained the confidence to do it. That shift in mindset could mean we’ll see a different Brazil in the knockout stage than we saw in the group phase," he added.

The Frenchman highlighted the influence of Filipe Luis, whose Flamengo side showed what Wenger called the most European tactical profile among South American sides at the tournament.

"Filipe has ... played in Europe, and you can see that in the way his team approaches the game," Wenger said.

GAP CLOSING

Wenger and Klinsmann said South American clubs were quickly closing the gap in infrastructure and preparation.

"When we visited the teams, we saw delegations of up to 100 people - support staff, analysts, advisors," Wenger said. "With squads of 23 to 35 players, these clubs are now fully professional in every department. That level of preparation allows teams to learn quickly."

The key difference, however, remains in execution.

"In the final third, European clubs are simply more clinical," Wenger said.

Klinsmann agreed, saying the real divide lies in mentality.

"Experience is also a big part of quality," he said. "When is a club like Pachuca or Monterrey (of Mexico) playing in a tournament like this?"

Drawing on his time as US national coach, Klinsmann stressed the importance of testing players outside their comfort zones.

"That's why I always said, 'Get us into Copa America. Get us into Europe'. That’s the kind of competition that develops a winning mentality," he said.

"If this tournament were held again next year, Pachuca would be a different team - more confident, more refined.

"But they have to be more clinical. When you're in the box, it's your head that makes the decision, not just your feet. And that's the difference."

With the round of 16 underway on Saturday, analysts said the knockout stages would offer a clearer picture of how much ground South American teams have made up, tactically and psychologically.

"We might see very different attitudes now," Wenger said.

Flamengo face Bayern Munich on Sunday and Inter Milan meet Fluminense on Monday.

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