Brazil Hires Diniz as National Team Coach for 1 Year, Waits for Ancelotti 

Fluminense's coach Fernando Diniz gestures during the Copa Libertadores group stage football match between Fluminense and The Strongest at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
Fluminense's coach Fernando Diniz gestures during the Copa Libertadores group stage football match between Fluminense and The Strongest at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
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Brazil Hires Diniz as National Team Coach for 1 Year, Waits for Ancelotti 

Fluminense's coach Fernando Diniz gestures during the Copa Libertadores group stage football match between Fluminense and The Strongest at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
Fluminense's coach Fernando Diniz gestures during the Copa Libertadores group stage football match between Fluminense and The Strongest at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 18, 2023. (AFP)

Fernando Diniz has been hired as head coach of Brazil’s national team on a 12-month contract that will be due to expire when Carlo Ancelotti’s deal with Real Madrid ends.

The 49-year-old Fluminense coach will keep his job at the Rio de Janeiro club. He takes over from Ramon Menezes, who led the team into this year’s friendlies on an interim basis.

Brazil is yet to appoint a long-term coach to replace Tite, who left the job after a quarterfinal loss to Croatia in the 2022 World Cup at Qatar.

Diniz will be introduced in a news conference Wednesday at the Brazilian soccer confederation headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.

“This is a dream for anyone, an honor and a huge pride to work for the national team,” Diniz said in a video release, wearing a Brazil jacket. “It is a joint operation of the Brazilian soccer confederation and Fluminense. I have the conviction that we have everything to take this one and make it work.”

The Brazilian soccer confederation was expected to release more details of the deal later Tuesday.

Ednaldo Rodrigues, the chairman of the Brazilian soccer confederation, told TV Globo that Diniz, a favorite among players, will step in until Ancelotti joins. The Real Madrid coach has not confirmed any deal with Brazil so far.

Diniz' “game plan is almost similar to that of the coach that will take over at Copa America, Ancelotti,” Rodrigues said. “We don't call him an interim coach of the national team. He will come and make the transition in Brazil for Ancelotti.”

Copa America will be played in the United States from June 11 to July 19.



No. 1 Iga Swiatek Parts Ways with Coach after 3 Trophy-laden Years Together

FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek and her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski hold the trophy after Swiatek won the women's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek and her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski hold the trophy after Swiatek won the women's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
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No. 1 Iga Swiatek Parts Ways with Coach after 3 Trophy-laden Years Together

FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek and her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski hold the trophy after Swiatek won the women's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
FILE - Poland's Iga Swiatek and her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski hold the trophy after Swiatek won the women's final of the French Open tennis tournament against Italy's Jasmine Paolini at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek is separating from her coach Tomasz Wiktorowski.
The Polish tennis player announced the split Friday, saying the decision was taken together.
During the three years Swiatek worked with Wiktorowski, the Polish player won four of her five Grand Slam titles and rose to the top of the women’s rankings.
“After 3 years of the greatest achievements in my career, together with my coach Tomasz Wiktorowski we decided to part way,” Swiatek wrote in a post on Instagram. “I want to start with a big thank you and appreciating our work together.”
Swiatek appointed Wiktorowski as coach at the end of the 2021 season. He helped her capture 19 of her 22 career titles and an Olympic bronze medal in Paris in August.
“Coach Wiktorowski joined my team for three seasons, when I strongly needed changes and a fresh approach to my game,” Swiatek continued. “His experience, analytical and strategic attitude and enormous knowledge about tennis helped us to achieve things I’ve never dreamed of only a few months after we started working together.
“Our main goal was to become No. 1 player in the world and coach Wiktorowski was the one who said it first," The Associated Press quoted her as saying.
Swiatek hasn’t competed since losing to Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the US Open.
She withdrew from this week’s China Open in Beijing — where she would have been defending champion — citing personal reasons. The 23-year-old Swiatek also pulled out of the recent Korea Open in Seoul, citing fatigue.
“Due to this important change on my team, I give myself a couple of weeks to start a cooperation with a new coach,” Swiatek wrote. “I’m in the middle of first talks with coaches from abroad (non-Polish) because I’m ready to take the next step of my career. I will let you know when I make a decision.”
Wiktorowski was voted the WTA’s Coach of the Year by his peers last year.
“Coach, THANK YOU, I wish you all the best,” Swiatek wrote. “I know that you would like to rest after these 3 years of hard work and traveling a lot and spending some well-deserved time with your loved ones and I hope you’ll get what you need.”