Wim Fissette
| Country (sports) |  Belgium |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1980 |
| Coaching career (2009–) | |
Kim Clijsters (2009–2011) Sabine Lisicki (2013) Simona Halep (2014) Victoria Azarenka (2015–2016) Sara Errani (2016–) | |
| Coaching achievements | |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion) 2x US Open (Clijsters) | |
| Last updated on: 18 February 2015. | |
Wim Fissette (born 22 March 1980) is a Belgian former professional tennis player and current coach, best known for his work with former Women's Tennis Association (WTA) world number 1 Kim Clijsters, world number 2 Simona Halep and former world number 1 Victoria Azarenka.
Playing career
Fissette reached a career high singles ranking of 1,291 on 23 August 1999.[1]
Coaching career
Fissette first took on the role of Kim Clijsters' coach upon the Belgian making a comeback onto the WTA Tour in 2009, having previously served as her hitting partner prior to her first retirement in 2007. Under his stewardship, Clijsters won the US Open that year as a wildcard entry, and successfully retained the title twelve months later. She also won the 2010 WTA Tour Championships, which was followed shortly after by the Australian Open early the following year. She also reigned as the world number one for a solitary week in 2011. Fissette and Clijsters split in September that year.[2]
After splitting from Clijsters, Fissette became the coach of Sabine Lisicki shortly before the commencement of the 2013 French Open. Although Lisicki was unable to win any titles under Fissette's leadership, she was able to reach the final at Wimbledon, losing to Marion Bartoli in straight sets after ending Serena Williams' 34-match winning streak and preventing her from equalling elder sister Venus' 35-match winning streak set in 2000 en route.[3][4]
In 2014, Fissette became the coach of Simona Halep. Their partnership brought about improved results for Halep, who that year reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open, the final of the French Open and then the semi-finals at Wimbledon. She also reached a career high ranking of world number two in August that year. The pair split at the end of the year, with Halep wanting to focus on working with coaches from her native Romania.[5][3][6]
In February 2015, Fissette became the coach of former world number one Victoria Azarenka, whose previous coach Sam Sumyk defected to coach Eugenie Bouchard (and later Garbiñe Muguruza). At the time of this appointment Azarenka was ranked 50th in the world, her lowest ranking since June 2007.[7]
References
- ^ "Wim Fissette – Tennis Players – Tennis – ATP World Tour". ATP World Tour official website. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "Clijsters confirms split with coach Wim Fissette". tennis.com. 28 September 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ a b McGarvel, Nick (26 November 2014). "Wim Fissette Exclusive: There Were No 'Frustations' With Halep". Tennis Now. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "Wim Fissette in Team". Sabine Lisicki official website. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "MCCARVEL: COACH FISSETTE ON HALEP". Women's Tennis Association official website. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ "Simona Halep splits from coach Fissette". Sydney Morning Herald. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Cronin, Matt (17 February 2015). "Azarenka hires Halep's former coach Wim Fissette". tennis.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
External links
- Profile on ATP World Tour official website