Piotr Sierzputowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈpjɔtr ɕɛʐpuˈtɔfskʲi]; born 21 September 1992)[1] is a Polish tennis coach best known for coaching the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) player Iga Świątek from 2016 to 2021.
| Country (sports) |  Poland |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 September 1992 Nowy Dwór Gdański, Pomerania, Poland |
| Coaching career | |
| |
| Coaching achievements | |
| Coachee singles titles total | 3 |
| List of notable tournaments (with champion) 2020 French Open (Świątek) | |
Career
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Born in Nowy Dwór Gdański, Sierzputowski is a former junior tennis player who took up coaching in his early teens, helping to train his younger sister, Alicja Sierzputowska, though he soon also coached other girls professionally at a local tennis club in Pomerania.[1][2] While supporting his sister's career, he spent some time working in the United States with her and other players, including at the Johan Kriek Tennis Academy, before moving back to Poland to be an assistant coach at Legia Warsaw's tennis club.[2][3][4]
In mid-2016, on the back of reaching a junior French Open quarterfinal, then-15-year-old Iga Świątek began working with Sierzputowski, then 23, at Legia Warsaw.[2][4] Within a couple months, Sierzputowski became her primary coach and she his only student.[2][4] Świątek had a successful junior career under Sierzputowski, culminating in 2018 when she won the Wimbledon girls' singles title and the French Open girls' and Youth Olympics doubles titles.[2] When Świątek began playing main WTA Tour events in 2019, Sierzputowski formed her core travel team along with sports psychologist Daria Abramowicz and eventually fitness trainer Maciej Ryszczuk.[2][5][6][7]
Świątek was quickly successful on the WTA Tour—in 2020, she made a surprise run at the French Open to claim her first major title, at age 19. She was named the WTA's Most Improved Player and Fan Favorite of 2020, and Sierzputowski won the WTA Coach of the Year Award.[2][5] Sierzputowski has said, of his coaching style, "I give Iga a lot of space. I can guide her so that she really wants to get better".[4] Świątek established herself further in 2021, winning titles in Adelaide and Rome and getting to a then-high ranking of No. 4. She was also the only woman to reach the fourth round of every major that year and qualified for the WTA Finals for the first time.[8] However, in the off-season before 2022, she and Sierzputowski split amicably due to "burnout" after six years together, wishing each other well on social media; he was replaced by Tomasz Wiktorowski.[9][10][11]
In early 2022, Sierzputowski began working as a tennis commentator on Eurosport Polska, including for some of Świątek's matches.[12][13] He also became the coach of American top 50 player Shelby Rogers.[13][14]
Awards
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Piotr Sierzputowski". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nguyen, Courtney (30 April 2021). "It takes a village: How Sierzputowski steers Swiatek to success". WTA Insider. Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Piotr Sierzputowski" (in Polish). Warsaw Sports Group. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023. "Alicja Sierzputowska" (in Polish). Warsaw Sports Group. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Jachimiak, Łukasz (20 October 2020). "Iga Świątek dostała ofertę nie do przebicia. "Była dla nich jedną z wielu, a jest jak Jordan"" [Iga Świątek got an unbeatable offer ...]. Sport.pl (in Polish). Agora. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ a b Oddo, Chris (15 December 2020). "Sierzputowski: Swiatek Opened Door to Future Success at Roland Garros". Tennis Now. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Hitowe zwierzenie byłego trenera Igi Świątek. "Zabrzmi to brzydko..."" [Blockbuster confession of Iga Świątek's former coach ...]. Interia Sport (in Polish). 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Warzecha, Sebastian (6 June 2022). "Poznajcie współtwórcę sukcesów Igi Świątek. Sylwetka Macieja Ryszczuka" [Meet the co-creator of Iga Świątek's successes ...]. Weszło (in Polish). Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Nguyen, Courtney (16 November 2021). "'We achieved all the goals we set': Sierzputowski on Swiatek's season". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Mesic, Dzevad (15 December 2021). "Coach Piotr Sierzputowski reflects on his split with Iga Swiatek". Tennis World. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Swiatek and Sierzputowski split after successful five-year partnership". Women's Tennis Association. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Jachimiak, Łukasz (4 December 2021). "Trener Igi Świątek tłumaczy rozstanie: To jej decyzja. Ulga" [Iga Świątek's coach explains the separation ...]. Sportl.pl (in Polish). Agora. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ Jachimiak, Łukasz (19 January 2022). "Były trener Igi Świątek wskazuje największe problemy. "Żadnych wycieczek osobistych"" [The former coach of Iga Świątek points to the biggest problems ...]. Sport.pl (in Polish). Agora. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ a b Jachimiak, Łukasz (10 February 2022). "Były trener Igi Świątek ma nową pracę. "Ta dziewczyna chce wygrywać duże turnieje"" [Iga Świątek's former coach has a new job ...]. Sport.pl (in Polish). Agora. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "New Duo of Shelby Rogers and Piotr Sierzputowski Dreams Big". BNP Paribas Open. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Lewandowski sportowcem roku, ale na dalszych miejscach zaskoczenia" [Lewandowski is the athlete of the year ...]. Sport.pl (in Polish). Agora. 9 January 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2023.