Iga Świątek has broken her silence about her new coach. After firing Wim Fissette in March, she has found his replacement in Emma Raducanu and Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francisco Roig. The Pole made the appointment public by welcoming the Spanish coach on Instagram.
Iga Świątek Welcomes Coach Francisco Roig
Świątek parted ways with Fissette after an unsuccessful run at the 2026 Miami Open. The pair began their collaboration at the tail end of 2024, winning three titles together in 2025 – the Wimbledon Championships, the Cincinnati Open, and the Korea Open.
The ongoing season, however, hasn’t yielded the results Świątek was expecting, resulting in the shakeup. During a recent interview with Sport.pl, the World No. 4 clarified that the split wasn’t abrupt. She had observed a drop in her confidence during her run in Doha, where she lost to Maria Sakkari.
“It’s definitely not something someone like me decides to do after one failure. I wouldn’t make such a decision lightly,” she said. “I’m quite rational. I like to give myself time to make decisions.”
“During the tournament in Doha, I realized I wasn’t feeling as good on court as I had before,” she added. “I felt like I wasn’t playing as well, and that’s why I started losing confidence.”
Speculation was rife that Świątek had contacted her idol, Rafael Nadal, for advice on her next step. The Spaniard reportedly recommended Francisco Roig. While the 24-year-old refused to acknowledge Nadal’s involvement, it appears that she may have taken her idol’s advice. On Thursday, April 2, Świątek shared a message on social media confirming the rumors.
MORE: Iga Świątek Protects Rafael Nadal’s Privacy Amid Coaching Advice Rumors
“Welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter,” she wrote.
Roig was most recently spotted with French tennis player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard during the Sunshine Double. Before that the Spanish coach trained Emma Raducanu. The pair collaborated for six months, from August 2025 to January 2026. The Brit, who parted ways with the Spaniard after the Australian Open, had indicated that she wasn’t a fan of the technical changes they made to her forehand.
“I think in the end, we just weren’t aligning on certain key aspects. But we still maintain a really good relationship,” Raducanu said about their split.
Roig has extensive experience as a tennis coach. He joined Nadal’s team in 2005 and mentored the Spaniard to each of his 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 French Opens. Świątek, a four-time champion in Paris, would thus look to make the most of her new hire ahead of the claycourt season. She is rumored to train at the Rafa Nadal Academy before resuming her campaign at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.
