WATCH: Novak Djokovic turns coach to Iga Swiatek just before China Open 2026
(Courtesy :Â X)
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek are gearing up for the China Open 2026.
Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek got some free coaching from arguably the sport’s greatest player of all time ahead of the China Open.
Video from the practice courts in Beijing showed Novak Djokovic walking the six-time Grand Slam champion through his return-of-serve stance.
He explained that he uses a wider base with his feet slightly open and that the position has changed over his career. When the Serbian was younger, he stood bent forward. A few years ago he used to lean back. Now he sits in what he called a middle ground.
Swiatek thanked him, and Djokovic told her they would talk more soon before resuming his own practice. Earlier this year, Swiatek had also sought out Rafael Nadal for advice and had trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca in early April 2026.
It is not the first time Djokovic has offered a hand to a top WTA player. Aryna Sabalenka spent a session hitting with him at Wimbledon 2025, where he jokingly told her she was lacking intensity and that her game was too flat. She later said their hour-long chat helped her approach the biggest matches.
Djokovic has also spent considerable time with 18-year-old American Iva Jovic, who considers the 39-year-old as her idol. “He makes time for young players,” Jovic said, adding that Djokovic always found time to help her with technical and mental aspects of the game.
Swiatek needs to find form
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Swiatek will hope to act on Djokovic’s advice, as her level has not been anywhere close to what it was previously. The Pole has not won a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2025, and 2026 has been the first season in five years without a major title.
She lost to Marta Kostyuk in the Roland Garros fourth round, then went out to Qinwen Zheng at the US Open 2026 after leading 5-0 in the opening set. She also parted ways with Tomasz Wiktorowski, who coached her for three years, and began a new partnership with Francisco Roig.
Swiatek recently triumphed at the Canadian Open but will look to find consistency across surfaces and competitions, which once made her the WTA World No. 1.
As the Beijing Masters 2026 approaches, the stakes are real. Swiatek sits 10th in the WTA Race, 640 points behind eighth-placed Linda Noskova, with only the top eight qualifying for the year-end WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Furthermore, since the Czech player has won the Wimbledon title, she will secure qualification if she maintains her place in the top 20.
This makes Swiatek’s task harder, and she will hope to take inspiration from what Elena Rybakina did to qualify last year if she wishes to qualify for the year-end Finals in Indian Wells, California.
What advice did Novak Djokovic give Iga Swiatek ahead of the China Open 2026?
Ahead of the tournament in Beijing, Djokovic walked Swiatek through his return-of-serve stance on the practice courts. He uses a wider base with his feet slightly open. He said the position has changed over his career: bent forward when he was younger, leaning back a few years ago, and now a middle ground. He told her they would talk more soon.
Can Iga Swiatek still qualify for the WTA Finals?
She can, but it is difficult. She is 10th in the WTA Race, 640 points behind eighth-placed Linda Noskova, and only the top eight qualify for the Finals in Indian Wells. She will have to make up that gap in the remaining events, and Elena Rybakina’s route to qualification last year is a possible model.
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