Tennis players are like everyone else in one way. When players like them start to have success, they get jealous. No one articulates that better than Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk.

Marta Kostyuk, who is the approximately same age as the two US Open semifinalists,  talked about watching Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez playing the US Open final. Kostyuk said:

I have to be honest, it was a bit rough for me to watch both of their runs (Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez). I want to be where they are. I am sure it’s going to happen, I didn’t feel nice looking at them playing finals (laughs). I realized that I can do the same.

It was very, very inspirational because it gave me strength and I realized that I can do the same thing, so this is the thing they gave me, which I’m very thankful for, because leading something is never easy, when you are the first it’s always extra pressure

Marta Kostyuk was a young tennis phenom. In 2015, at just age 15, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, becoming the youngest player to achieve that feat in almost 25 years.

Kostyuk reached the fourth round at the 2021 French Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek. As she develops her game, she is certain to win big titles. She has a great future, whether that’s driven by inspiration or jealousy.

Tomasz Witkorowski has been coaching Iga Swiatek at the end of 2021.Witkorowski previously coached Agnieszka Radwanska, who was once ranked world number 2 in the world. The fact that Witkorowski is Polish also mattered a lot in the decision.

At the end of the 2021 season, Iga Swiatek announced that she has split with her longtime coach Piotr Sierzputowski. After an incredible 2020 season, Swiatek couldn’t repeat the success in 2021, which led to the coaching change.

Piotr Sierzputowski had been coaching Iga Swiatek since 2016. Sierzputowski coached Swiatek to a junior Wimbledon title in 2018. After turning pro, she made rapid strides and won the 2020 French Open. Not surprisingly, Piotr Sierzputowski was voted the 2020 WTA Coach of the Year.

Sierzputowski was 23 when he started coaching Swiatek. He is one of the youngest coaches on the tour. So it’s fair to say that he doesn’t have a lot of experience like other coaches who coach top WTA players.

Sierzputowski was initially reluctant to coach Iga Swiatek because he lacked the experience. But under his guidance, Swiatek has improved her game a lot.

Another valuable member of Swiatek’s team is psychologist Daria Abramowicz. Abramowicz sailed competitively for 12 years, so she knows how grueling sports can be. She has also been a coach for 10 years. Being a former competitor, a coach and a psychologist allow Abramowicz  to see the big picture and tailor programs for Swiatek to work through to stay mentally strong and handle pressures.

Swiatek relies on Mike James for statistics. The use of analytics in tennis has grown rapidly in recent years. James feeds analytics information to Sierzputowski, who then converts it into meaningful advice for Swiatek.