Why Iga Swiatek's coach has landed in trouble with fans after Jelena Ostapenko's "savage" comment about crushing the Pole in Stuttgart

Iga Swiatek's coach, Wim Fissette, came under fire from certain tennis fans after the Pole's recent loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Ostapenko now leads Swiatek 6-0 in the pair's WTA Tour-level head-to-head. After the match, a particular remark by the Latvian prompted some fans to take swipes at Fissette.

During her post-match press conference, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko was asked about her game plan against Swiatek in Stuttgart. In her response, the Latvian declined to give away any "secrets," suggesting that playing aggressively against the Pole was the focal point of her strategy.

"I'm not opening the secrets. But the main thing is to stay aggressive," Ostapenko said.

The former No. 5 was also questioned about Iga Swiatek's tactics during the match on Saturday, April 19. Jelena Ostapenko said that she noticed the Pole switching up her style of play, but concluded by confidently stating that whatever Swiatek tried on the day, it failed.

"Yeah, she was trying to do a few things different that I realized today. Obviously I was ready for it, and I was waiting that she will try to do something different, but still it didn't work," she added.

It didn't take long for fans on X to chime in with their reactions to Ostapenko's answers. Some aimed at Wim Fissette, who was appointed as Iga Swiatek's coach in October last year. The Pole has yet to win a title under the tutelage of the Belgian coach, who previously worked with the likes of Kim Clijsters, Angelique Kerber and Naomi Osaka.

"She said Fi$$ette is useless. 😯," one fan wrote.

"“But still it didn’t work” omfg get Fi$$ette for me," commented another.

"“She was trying to do a few things different” Yea Swiatek shifted her strategy to disrupt Ostapenko’s rhythm, exclusively targeting Ostapenko’s backhand literally every serve after the first set. This approach paid off temporarily(Set 2) but its effectiveness waned thereafter," another fan chimed in.

There were others who hyped up Ostapenko's "it didn't work" remark.

"That last sentence is savage," opined one fan.

"The smug. God I love competitive women!" another added.

"Her secret is Iga serving at ITF level," weighed in yet another fan.

Against Ostapenko in Stuttgart, Swiatek wasn't only erratic with her overall game, but also appeared irked throughout the contest, which lasted two hours and ten minutes. The Pole later explained why she wore such an irritated expression.

"I had my chances, just didn't use them" - Iga Swiatek on "irritated" look in Stuttgart QF loss to Jelena Ostapenko

Iga Swiatek (left) and Jelena Ostapenko (right) shake hands at the net after their quarterfinal clash at the 2025 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart (Source: Getty)

Apart from appearing annoyed for vast stretches of her quarterfinal showdown against Jelena Ostapenko in Stuttgart, Iga Swiatek also shared a rather awkward handshake with the Latvian at the net in the immediate aftermath of the match. During her own post-match press conference, the former No. 1 and five-time Major winner spoke up about appearing irritated.

According to Swiatek, it stemmed from her inability to capitalize on Ostapenko's mistakes in the pivotal moments of the contest.

"Well, I think today was a tight match, so for sure I had my chances to win. Before, like, for sure, like, these matches were different. Like, she went for it and she was smashing every ball kind of perfectly. Today she didn't, she made some mistakes. I had my chances. I just didn't use them," Iga Swiatek said.

Meanwhile, Ostapenko reached the final of the WTA 500-level claycourt event after beating Ekaterina Alexandrova in the semis. The Latvian will take on three-time Stuttgart runner-up and reigning World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final.