Wim Fissette and Iga Swiatek looked like a good match on the surface. During their time together, Swiatek won Wimbledon last year and cemented her status as world No. 2. But signs of misalignment were clear, with the Pole struggling on clay and faltering at the start of this year. Now, in a surprising twist, Victoria Mboko has joined forces with Fissette right before the biggest clay tournament of the year.

As reported by AlErsalPod, Mboko has been seen working with Fissette in Strasbourg ahead of her final French Open warm-up event. It remains unclear whether they are working together full-time, whether this is a trial run, or simply a one-off practice session.

But if Mboko has managed to tie Fissette down to a long-term deal, it will be very interesting to see how she develops on tour.

Fissette is a world-class coach who has won major titles with four different players. He coached Naomi Osaka to the 2020 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, and the two later resumed their partnership after her return to the tour, which caused controversy as he was also working with Zheng Qinwen at the time.

Zheng then returned to Pere Riba, who later left to coach Coco Gauff, while Osaka eventually parted ways with Fissette. He then began working with Swiatek in October 2024, while Osaka started being coached by another of Swiatek’s former coaches, Tomasz Wiktorowski.

Now, Mboko, who is looking to take the next step in her career and chase a first major, has also entered the picture.

Mboko was previously coached by former French No. 1 Nathalie Tauziat, but their partnership appears to have ended after Tauziat took on a new role within Tennis Canada.

If Mboko does bring Fissette on full-time, she will hope his experience with top players in the biggest moments can help her make that breakthrough. But it is also worth noting that Roland Garros remains the only Grand Slam he has failed to win as a coach.

Even Swiatek, despite being one of the greatest clay-court players of her era, struggled on the surface during their time together.

When might Victoria Mboko first begin training under coach Wim Fissette?

Earlier this month, Mboko withdrew from the Italian Open due to a gastrointestinal illness, cutting short an important part of her French Open preparation. Wanting to play more matches ahead of the big event, she signed up for the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg.

Mboko will compete as the top seed in a strong field that includes Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Madison Keys. If Fissette is indeed confirmed as Mboko’s new coach, he could already be in her corner for her opening match. After receiving a first-round bye, Mboko will face either Lois Boisson or Wang Xinyu in the second round.

The Canadian will be eager to get her clay season going after a difficult start on the surface. She played just one match in Madrid, where she lost 6-4, 6-1 to Caty McNally.

If Mboko advances past Boisson/Xinyu in Strasbourg, the competition will only get tougher deeper into the tournament. The event begins on Monday, May 18, and it could offer the first real indication of whether her work with Fissette develops into a full-time coaching partnership.