Rennae Stubbs reacts to change Wim Fissette is planning with Iga Swiatek and says what she needs to learn from Coco Gauff

Wim Fissette could be taking a page out of Coco Gauff’s book to help Iga Swiatek improve her game.

The Belgian coached the Pole for the first time at the WTA Finals, which was also her first tournament since the US Open.

Fissette was announced as the World number two’s coach in October after ending her three-year partnership with Tomasz Wiktorowski.

After watching Swiatek at the season-ending event in Riyadh, Rennae Stubbs thinks there is something the Olympic bronze medalist can add to her game, similar to Coco Gauff.

Which Coco Gauff shot does Rennae Stubbs think Wim Fisette will add to Iga Swiatek’s game?

Gauff defeated Iga Swiatek in the round robin stage of the 2024 WTA Finals. Gauff also defeated World number one Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals, before overcoming Qinwen Zheng in an epic three-hour final.

While analysing Gauff’s performances in Riyadh, Stubbs credited her looping forehand from the back of a court as a useful shot to help her get back into the rallies and turn defence into attack.

The 53-year-old suggested that Fissette could begin to implement this shot in Iga Swiatek’s game, but it will be tricky given the way she hits her forehand.

“Wim Fissette said that he wants her to play further back in the court on a hard court because of the speed of the court and it will give her time,” she said on her self-titled Rennae Stubbs podcast.

“That in a way makes sense, it gives her more time to see the ball and she can finish on the forehand a bit more. But the problem with that is that the reason Coco gets away with playing so deep in the court with her forehand grip is that Coco is not afraid to throw up a high ball.