E-Paper
Iga Swiatek appoints Rafael Nadal's former coach Francisco Roig to her team in bid to return to World No. 1
Swiatek split with coach Wim Fissette following a quiet run of form by her high standards, but turns to the experienced Roig, who was with Nadal for 27 years.
World number 4 and six-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek has named her new coach, announcing that Spaniard Francisco Roig will be joining her team to replace Wim Fissette ahead of the 2026 clay court swing.
Roig was a long-time member of Rafael Nadal’s coaching staff through the Spanish great’s legendary career, working alongside names like Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya. Roig joined Nadal’s team in 2005 ahead of his first grand slam win, and only departed in 2022, after Nadal had won the last of his 22 grand slams.
Roig subsequently joined the camp for Italian Matteo Berrettini, before joining Emma Raducanu in mid-2025. Raducanu is known as a player with a high coach turnover rate, and parted ways with Roig after disagreements over her playing style, culminating at this year’s Australian Open.
Roig and Swiatek are set to be a good fit for each other – the Polish former number one holds Nadal as her tennis hero, and has spent significant time at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca. Particularly, Swiatek is also the leading clary court player on the WTA, and is therefore someone with technical similarities to the Spanish legend.
Swiatek announced Roig as her new coach via Instagram story. “Welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter,” wrote Swiatek on her profile, sharing a picture with the Spanish coach.
Swiatek looks for balance in her game
This follows a split from Fissette, with whom the Pole had spent close to 18 months. The combination saw Fissette move Swiatek towards an aggressive strike-first approach, which helped her left the Wimbledon title, but also brought inconsistencies to her game as she failed to mesh it with her natural counter-punching style.
Roig is a better fit in terms of Swiatek’s heavy top-spin game and elite movement, both of which were key components of Nadal’s style. Swiatek will retain the remainder of her team, choosing against making wholesale changes to her staff.
Swiatek has failed to reach the quarterfinal round of any tournament in 2026, and the split occurred after the Miami WTA 1000 event saw her incredible streak of 73 consecutive opening round match wins come to an end. Fissette himself had joined Swiatek’s camp after the departure of Tomasz Wiktorowski.
Swiatek currently sits at number four in the world, trying to iron out her game and make a tilt at the number one position held by Aryna Sabalenka. Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff also sit between the pair of players, but provides the making of a powerhouse class at the top of the women’s game.
