World No. 4 Iga Swiatek has appointed Francisco Roig, formerly Rafael Nadal's backup coach, as her new coach just days before the clay-court season begins. The move follows her split from Wim Fissette after a second-round exit at the Miami Open. Swiatek confirmed the hiring on Instagram, expressing excitement for the partnership.
Swiatek announced the change on Thursday via her Instagram story, posting a photo with Roig and captioning it: “Welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter.” Roig, who served as Nadal's backup coach during his 14 Roland Garros triumphs, brings deep clay-court expertise. He recently parted ways with Emma Raducanu after six months and a brief stint with Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The duo is training at the Rafa Nadal Academy, where Nadal himself was spotted coaching Swiatek on court. Swiatek's 2026 record stands at 12-6 with no titles, including quarterfinal runs in most events but early exits in Doha and Miami, prompting the coaching shift after 17 months with Fissette, during which she won Wimbledon in 2025. Swiatek explained the split was not impulsive, telling Sport.pl it stemmed from a longer process since her Doha quarterfinal loss to Maria Sakkari. “It’s not something someone like me decides right after a failure. I wouldn’t make such a decision lightly. I’m quite rational,” she said. She prefers giving her team time to reset but felt a change was needed to regain her solid, error-free style on court. Roig will accompany Swiatek to the Stuttgart Open starting April 13, her first tournament with the new setup ahead of Roland Garros in late May.
