Iga Swiatek’s new coach Wim Fissette named Elena Rybakina as the Pole’s toughest opponent and not Aryna Sabalenka.
While the Pole achieved great success in the last three seasons and established herself as a dominant force, the world No. 4 remains a big issue for her.
Since beating the Kazakh in their first meeting in 2021 Ostrava, the five-time Grand Slam champion has only won one of their past five meetings – all of those five clashes came across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
And not only that Rybakina dominated Swiatek on faster surfaces and owns a 4-2 head-to-head, but she also beat the four-time French Open winner when they met on the clay courts of Stuttgart earlier this year.
Fissette, who started working with the current world No. 2 in October, spoke to Przegląd Sportowy when he was asked to name the Pole’s “toughest opponent.” He responded by saying it was the Kazakh tennis star.
Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina© YouTube screenshot
Truth be told, the Polish tennis star owns a positive head-to-head against Sabalenka since she has won eight of their 12 meetings.
Rybakina answered why she feels she is a tough opponent for Swiatek
In April, the 2022 Wimbledon champion became the first player since 2021 to beat the world No. 2 in Stuttgart after clinching a 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory in the semifinal.
“I think it’s just style of the game. Iga, she moves really well and she likes to dominate in the rally. With me, it’s difficult because I play fast, I play flatter, and also like to move the opponent. So it’s kind of, I think, a matchup where we are both pushing each other, both trying to dominate in the point. So I think of course also my serve helps a lot. That’s why some matches I win; some matches I lose. But it’s always tough for her to play against me and for me to play against her (smiling),” Rybakina explained after the match.
It will be interesting to see if Fissette can help Swiatek figure out a better way to compete against Rybakina going forward.
Tennis World USA