Why Francisco Roig has big shoes to fill as Iga Swiatek’s new coach

Iga Swiatek has changed her coach for just the fourth time in her career but a decision like that has proved to be very effective in the past.

The 24-year-old confirmed on Thursday that Francos Roig would be joining her coaching team, bringing with him the experience of coaching Rafa Nadal, but there is pressure on the latter given just how well her previous coaches have done.

Since turning pro in 2016, Swiatek has had just three permanent coaches and all of them have helped changed or develop her game.

The first was Piotr Sierzputowski who oversaw Swiatek’s transition into a pro player. Swiatek clinched her first slam, the 2020 French Open under Sierzputowski as she defeated Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 in the Paris final.

After a five years together, Swiatek announced in December 2021 she was parting ways with her long-time coach.

Tomasz Wiktorowski was appointed, who has been Swiatek’s most successful coach to date. Under the Pole, Swiatek won the French Open on three occasions as well as the 2022 US Open.

In October 2024, they then parted ways before Belgian coach Wim Fiesste was appointed late that month. That marked another turning point in Swiatek’s career as she clinched the Wimbledon title for the first time in 2025.

That relationship came to an end after Swiatek suffered a second round defeat in Miami which opened the vacancy for Roig to come in.

While Roig is no stranger to Grand Slams, the history of Swiatek and her coaches represents a very high bar in terms of what is to be expected. That shock defeat in Miami has also seen Swiatek drop to her lowest ranking since June 2025.

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as for why she made the change Swiatek said she does not usually like to make coaching alterations after a tournament exit but expressed a desire to feel good on the court again, an element she found had gone missing of late.

“I wouldn’t make such a decision hastily. Sometimes you can see me as an emotional person, but I really don’t make decisions impulsively. I’m quite rational. I like to give myself time to make a decision.

“Besides, I don’t make many changes to the team. I think it’s a very good approach. I like to give the team the opportunity to ‘reset’ ourselves and start working a little differently.

“However, in this case, I felt that it was simply time for a change. Yes, it was not a decision made in Miami – it was a longer process in which I thought everything through carefully.

“During the tournament in Doha, I realized that I don’t feel as good on the court as before,” she continued.

“Of course, at different tournaments there may be different reasons for a worse disposition – sometimes I just know that I was not focused that day, sometimes the forehand failed me, sometimes something else.”

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