The stretch of hard-court battles seemed to leave Iga Swiatek searching for her usual rhythm. After falling in the Indian Wells quarterfinals, the former World No. 1 suffered a stunning first-round exit in Miami, a defeat that ended her 17-month partnership with coach Wim Fissette. Having already played 18 matches across four tournaments, the Pole then chose to step back from her Billie Jean King Cup campaign. Of course, the team could not let their star player go.

Two years ago, in November 2024, Iga led Team Poland to the semifinals for the first time. Now, the World No. 3 withdrew ahead of their encounter against Ukraine in Gliwice. Both teams fight for a Finals spot in Shenzhen, but Swiatek’s absence hits Poland hard and leaves them without a top-50 player. Captain Dawid Celt speaks out and admits he failed to convince her to join.

“I fought until the very end for Iga to be part of this event, and for her to be part of our team. From the beginning, however, I was fully aware that this would be a very difficult task. However, I tried to convince and show a slightly different perspective of this performance,” Celt told TVP Sport.pl.

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He further suggested that the sudden split with Fissette also played a big role in Swiatek’s decision to pull out of the clash against Ukraine.

“It was compounded by a change of coach, a bit of confusion in her environment and the fact that she has to sort everything out. This is not the first time, not the last time. I am aware of the fact that it is impossible to make her with us here in the squad every time. However, I would really like to. I always fight for it, because that’s also my job, but as I say, I’m aware that it’s not always possible,” he added.

With Iga Swiatek missing, Magda Linette (No. 54) will lead Poland’s lineup. She is joined by Maja Chwalinska, Linda Klimovicova, Katarzyna Kawa, and Martyna Kubka. On the other side, Ukraine’s squad features World No. 7 Elina Svitolina at the helm, alongside Marta Kostyuk, Oleksandra Oliynykova, Lyudmyla Kichenok, Nadiia Kichenok, and team captain Illya Marchenko.

The Pole’s withdrawal from the Billie Jean King Cup clash quickly became headline news. Reports claimed her absence led to a drop in public interest, with fans even returning tickets for the match in Gliwice. The reaction grew so strong that the Polish Tennis Association had to step in and address the controversy.

“The statement that ‘people are en masse returning tickets’ for the Poland-Ukraine match in the Billie Jean King Cup is untrue. According to information provided by the distributor, there has been one such request in the last week. We are also not observing increased activity in ticket resale. We are surprised by the lack of faith in the attitude and commitment of Polish fans,” they said, refuting all the claims.

It was a few days after withdrawing from the Billie Jean King Cup that Iga Swiatek announced her new coach. She decided to bring in the vastly experienced Francisco Roig ahead of the clay swing.

There were many names that were linked to take over the position, with one of them being Dawid Celt himself. However, the Pole wasn’t surprised that Swiatek preferred Roig over him.

Celt calls Francisco Roig an “obvious choice” for Iga Swiatek

The BJK Cup Captain remarked that there were indications that Swiatek’s new coach would be a Spaniard. He pointed to the connection that the 24-year-old has with Rafael Nadal, who had kept Roig in his coaching team for 17 years (2005 – 2022) and had enjoyed a monumental level of success with him.

“From my perspective, this is a natural choice. There were many indications that it would be the Spanish choice. Many people associate Iga with Rafael Nadal. They have contact, they have a relationship and it’s fantastic. The very presence of Rafael on the court and the very fact that he will look at you, and even be around you, is a kick of positive energy. It’s hard to imagine anything bigger.”

Celt further said that he himself would have recommended Swiatek to appoint Roig as her new coach.

“For me, it was a relatively obvious choice. If I had to point to one coach from abroad who would be Iga’s coach, I would say that it would be Francisco Roig,” he concluded.

The World No.3 is likely to begin her clay swing with the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix that will be held in Stuttgart from April 13 to 19. She has previously triumphed in this tournament twice (2022 & 2023) and will be aiming to win her third crown with the upcoming edition.

Will Iga Swiatek be able to begin her clay-court season on a high, or will she end up suffering an early exit in Stuttgart?