Reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek has announced that Francisco Roig has joined her coaching team ahead of the clay-court season.
The former world No 1 parted ways with Wim Fissette – with whom she started working in October 2024 – after a disappointing Sunshine Double as she lost in the quarter-final of the Indian Wells Open and the second round of the Miami Open.
Swiatek started the hard-court swing at No 2 in the WTA Rankings behind Aryna Sabalenka, but she has slipped to No 4 with Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff moving ahead and she decided it was time for a change after the Florida event.
Roig – who worked with 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal for more than two decades and recently coached Emma Raducanu – was top of the list of potential coaches named by Polish media and the rumour mill went into overdrive when it was announced that Swiatek would train at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca ahead of the clay-court swing.
Earlier this week, the six-time major champion gave a lengthy interview to Sport.pl and confirmed that she asked Nadal for advice about her next coach, but refused to give anything away.
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“He’s someone I can turn to if I need help or have a problem to solve,” she said of tennis great Nadal. “Help from someone so experienced – in fact, the best, the GOAT – is obviously a wonderful opportunity and I’ll take advantage of it whenever I can. Rafa is very open. He’s a great guy.
“The very fact that I have his number and can get in touch with him is a great honour for me. But to be honest, whether he helped me [in choosing a coach – rl] or not, I’d like to keep that between us, because he’s part of this story. I wouldn’t want to put him in an awkward position.”
However, the announcement was made on Thursday morning with the 24-year-old sharing an image of Roig on her Instagram Story, accompanied with the caption: “Welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter.”
Roig will be the Pole’s fourth full-time coach since she turned professional in 2016 as Piotr Sierzputowski coached her from 2016 until 2021. He was replaced by Tomasz Wiktorowsk who left in 2024 before Fissette took over.
Swiatek and Roig will now have a week to adapt before their first tournament at the Stuttgart Open from 13-19 April.
The post Iga Swiatek’s 11-word message as she announces ‘new chapter’ with new coach appeared first on Tennis365.
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