Who is Francisco Roig? Everything you need to know about Iga Swiatek’s new coach

Iga Swiatek has a new coach as former Rafael Nadal mentor Francisco Roig joins her team with the Spaniard coming with plenty of experience.

The current world No 4 has hired the man behind much of Nadal’s incredible success and took to Instagram to welcome the 58-year-old to her team.

Here’s everything you need to know about Swiatek’s new coach.

What was Roig’s playing career like?

As is often the case with top-level coaches, Roig enjoyed a playing career of his own before taking to the sidelines.

Born in 1968, he turned pro in 1987 and reached a career-high of world No 60 on the ATP Singles Tour in 1992. In the Slams, his best effort was the third round of the French Open he reached in 1989.

Roig though had more success on the doubles circuit, winning nine career titles and reaching the quarter finals of the 1997 French Open.

In 2001, he retired from the game and quickly turned his hand to coaching.

What was Roig’s coaching career like?

In 2005, Roig joined Rafael Nadal’s entourage just as the future great was beginning to make a mark on the sport.

That was also the year in which Nadal won the first of his 14 French Open titles and Roig was present for all 22 Slams won by Nadal.

He began as Toni Nadal’s assistant coach, and later worked alongside both Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez after ‘Uncle Toni’ stepped back in 2017.

The pair even played doubles together at points, partnering up at the 2009 Canadian Open and the 2014 Qatar Open.

Roig officially parted ways with Nadal at the end of 2022, following a season that saw the Spaniard claim his last two major titles at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

After leaving Nadal’s team, Roig initially started working with former US Open champion Sloane Stephens, though their partnership was ultimately short-lived.

He then spent just under a year working with former top-10 star and 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini, starting in December 2023.

Despite the Italian’s injury issues, the partnership proved to be a successful one, with Berrettini winning titles in Marrakech, Gstaad, and Kitzbuhel under Roig’s guidance.

However, the two parted ways in October 2024, with Roig not taking up any further coaching roles until this new partnership with Emma Raducanu in August 2025. Although that partnership came to an abrupt end in January 2026 after the Briton exited the Australian Open in the second round.

What can he bring to Swiatek?

Being part of the coaching team for one of the best players of all time is quite the thing to have on your CV but specifically, Roig has been perceived to be one of the best observers in the sport.

Speaking to Christopher Clarey for his book The Warrior, Feliciano Lopez – a confidante of both Roig and Nadal – credited Roig’s key insights for revitalising Nadal’s game.

“Technically, I think he’s the best coach in the world,” Lopez said. “He doesn’t use that much video analysis, but he sees things that the rest of the coaches don’t see.

“He’s able to see things in Rafa’s forehand or movement that no other guys would notice, and it allowed them to be very specific and precise.”

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