Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek Firmly Stand Behind Craig Tiley’s Coaching Rule Update at Australian Open 2025
After their fierce rivalry kicked off the 2025 season at the United Cup, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff are back at the 2025 Australian Open. But this time, they share similar thoughts on AO’s new coaching system. What is that? If you haven’t heard, AO’s tournament boss, Craig Tiley, has introduced ‘coaching pods’. This will permit coaching staff to communicate directly with players during matches through a designated ‘players’ box’ situated on the court. And these top seeds see this innovation as a positive addition to their game. How?
Both players kicked off their 2025 season with new coaches, setting a positive tone. Gauff has shown impressive growth since adding Matt Daly to her team during the Asian swing. She clinched both the 2024 China Open and the WTA Finals title with him. Meanwhile, Swiatek is still adjusting to Wim Fissette’s coaching style and hasn’t secured a title since their partnership began in October 2024. However, she seems to be gaining confidence from the new coaching pods.
In her first-round match at the Australian Open, Swiatek delivered a solid performance, defeating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-4. She shared her thoughts on having Fissette courtside during the tournament. When asked if she likes Wim to be this close or farther away from her, she said, “No, no, no. I like when he’s close. We had a nice practice kind of on United Cup because he was literally next to me on the bench and he had to coach me,” she said.
