Victoria Mboko’s rise has already been sharp enough to make the rest of the WTA Tour glance over its shoulder. Now, before another major test in Paris, the Canadian appears to be adding one of the sport’s most travelled and decorated coaching minds to the operation.
Mboko is set to play the Internationaux de Strasbourg this week as the top seed after taking a late entry into the tournament. More intriguingly, she has been seen working there with Wim Fissette, the former coach of Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, Kim Clijsters, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka and several other major WTA names.
Mboko spotted with Fissette in Strasbourg
The initial sighting was reported by AlErsalpod on X, with Mboko seen working alongside Fissette ahead of the final Roland Garros warm-up event.
Further clarity followed from tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg, who said Fissette confirmed to him that he is working with Mboko on a trial basis.
That detail matters. This is not yet a long-term appointment, but it is still a notable move from Mboko’s camp. A trial with Fissette before a Grand Slam suggests intent, ambition and a willingness to test whether one of the WTA’s most experienced coaches can help sharpen the next stage of her rise.
A statement move from a top-10 player
Mboko is already a top-10 player and remains one of the most compelling young names on the WTA Tour. Her progress has been steep, and her third-round run at the French Open on debut last year gave an early indication of how quickly she could adapt to the sport’s biggest stages.
Strasbourg now gives her more than clay-court preparation. It offers a first competitive setting with Fissette around her team, even if the partnership is still officially only a trial.
For a player entering her second full year on tour, the timing is interesting. Mboko is looking for refinement.
Fissette returns after Swiatek split
Fissette’s name still carries considerable weight in the women’s game. His coaching career has run through several of the most important WTA storylines of the past 15 years, from Kim Clijsters’ late-career major success to Naomi Osaka’s hard-court dominance and Iga Swiatek’s Wimbledon breakthrough.
His most recent high-profile role came with Swiatek, after a coaching triangle that had already become one of the more tangled subplots on the tour. Fissette famously worked with Osaka during two of her Grand Slam title runs, later resumed that partnership after her return to the sport, and had previously been working with Zheng Qinwen before that switch caused no shortage of discussion.
It has become less a coaching carousel than a full WTA roundabout, with several of the sport’s biggest names taking turns at the same exits.
Who has Wim Fissette coached?
Fissette’s appeal for Mboko is obvious when placed against the full sweep of his coaching history. He has not just worked with Grand Slam champions, but also with players at very different stages of their development: established major winners, rising contenders, comeback stories and players trying to turn promise into permanence.
| Years | Player | Noted result / achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2011 | Kim Clijsters | US Open 2009, US Open 2010, Australian Open 2011, WTA Finals 2010 |
| 2011 | Irina Khromacheva | Guided junior talent to top ITF rankings |
| 2013 | Sabine Lisicki | Wimbledon finalist 2013 |
| 2014 | Simona Halep | French Open finalist 2014 |
| 2015–2016 & 2018–2020 | Victoria Azarenka | US Open finalist 2020, several WTA titles |
| 2016 | Petra Kvitova | WTA titles, Wimbledon quarterfinal |
| 2016 | Sara Errani | Top-20 finishes and WTA doubles success |
| 2016–2017 | Johanna Konta | Australian Open semifinalist 2016, Miami Open champion 2017 |
| 2017–2018 | Angelique Kerber | Wimbledon champion 2018 |
| 2020–2022 & 2023–2024 | Naomi Osaka | US Open 2020, Australian Open 2021, World No. 1 |
| 2023 | Qinwen Zheng | Breakthrough into WTA Top 10 |
| 2025 | Iga Swiatek | Wimbledon champion 2025 |
That list explains why the Mboko trial is more than a routine backroom change. Fissette has been involved with power players, counter-punchers, comeback champions and players still learning how to carry the weight of expectation.
Why the Mboko move looks like making sense but there’s a but
Mboko was previously coached by former French No. 1 Nathalie Tauziat, but that partnership appears to have ended after Tauziat took on a new role with Tennis Canada.
In that context, Fissette’s arrival is logical. Mboko is young, highly ranked and entering a phase where details matter more than headlines. The power, ranking and trajectory are already there. The question is how to turn promise into deeper runs at the biggest tournaments.
Fissette has built a career around helping elite players manage those margins. If the trial works, Mboko would gain a coach with a proven understanding of Grand Slam pressure, locker-room politics and the demands placed on players expected to win early and often.
But there is a genuine element of surprise in this move. “La Reine de Montréal” seemed to have such good chemistry with her team and coach, and her player box often radiated a quiet confidence, belief and aura that appeared to help her on court.
On big points, she simply went for it. Nothing looked forced. Always calm. It came out of her in a fascinatingly natural way. That is why the move feels so unexpected.
Strasbourg trial comes at the right time
The trial period in Strasbourg should offer an early glimpse of how Mboko and Fissette work together under match conditions. Practice-court chemistry is one thing. Tournament pressure, even at a warm-up event, tends to reveal rather more.
For Mboko, the move adds another layer to her Roland Garros build-up. For Fissette, it marks a pretty swift return to the tour after his split with Swiatek.
For everyone else, it creates a fascinating storyline before Paris: one of the WTA’s fastest-rising players testing out one of its most decorated modern coaches.