In Pictures: Iga Swiatek kicks off her 1st practice session with new coach Wim Fissette at WTA Finals 2024 in Riyadh

Iga Swiatek has commenced her practice sessions in Riyadh with her new coach, Wim Fissette, ahead of the 2024 WTA Finals. The Pole was all smiles during her on-court interactions with the Belgian coach on Monday, October 28.

Swiatek is gearing up for her penultimate tournament of the season, the WTA Finals (November 2-9). The Pole, who is the defending champion, is set to be the second seed at the event, behind Aryna Sabalenka.

Interestingly, the year-end championship will also mark Iga Swiatek’s first stint with new coach, Fissette, who joined her team in early October. Fissette, known for his collaborations with the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Zheng Qinwen, most recently coached Naomi Osaka. The pair announced their separation following the 2024 US Open, just weeks before Swiatek confirmed her split with her coach of three years, Tomasz Wiktorowski.

Iga Swiatek and Wim Fissette hit the ground running with their first training block in Warsaw, Poland, just days after the announcement. The World No. 2 has since landed in the Saudi capital with her team and has wasted no time in acclimatizing to the indoor hardcourt of King Saud University, where the tournament is being held for the first time.

On Monday, she and Fissette were captured training on court, where the Belgian appeared to share some inputs. The pair also smilingly shook hands at the net after their session.

Check the pictures below:

Iga Swiatek pictured with Wim Fissette (L) and psychologist Daria in Riyadh - Image Source: Robert Prange/Getty

WTA Finals 2024 - Image Source: Robert Prange/Getty

WTA Finals 2024 - Image Source: Robert Prange/Getty

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Iga Swiatek is chasing her sixth title of the season at WTA Finals 2024 in Riyadh

Swiatek pictured at WTA Finals 2023 - Image Source: Getty

At the tournament in Riyadh, Iga Swiatek is in pursuit of her sixth title of 2024 and 23rd overall. The Pole, who won her third consecutive French Open title earlier this year, also added four 1000-level trophies (Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid, and Rome) to her growing resume.

It is worth noting, though, that the 23-year-old hasn’t competed since her quarterfinal loss to Jessica Pegula at the 2024 US Open. Given her prolonged absence and withdrawals, Swiatek recently forfeited considerable ranking points in the form of penalties, which resulted in her losing the World No. 1 spot to Aryna Sabalenka.

Thus, at the WTA Finals, apart from defending her title, the Pole will fight to reclaim her No. 1 crown. Alongside her and Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Zheng Qinwen, and Barbora Krejcikova are the other players included in the top-eight lineup.