Iga Świątek is ready to compete at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix with her new coach, Francisco Roig, following her loss at the Miami Open. Ahead of her clay action, she trained with Rafael Nadal at his academy, along with Roig. Her move garnered attention from Sam Querrey, who highlighted the legend’s confidence-boosting role for Świątek rather than a long-term collaboration.
Iga Świątek’s Collaboration With Rafael Nadal Ahead of Her Clay Action Draws Sam Querrey’s Reaction
The World No. 4 will be entering the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, as the third seed; ahead of her are Elena Rybakina, the top seed, and Coco Gauff, the second seed. Before her clay-court action, Świątek performed notably at the Australian Open, the Qatar Open, and Indian Wells, where she reached the quarterfinal rounds.
However, she suffered a heavy loss in the round of 64 at the Miami Open to fellow Polish player Magda Linette, after which she parted ways with her coach, Wim Fissette. After her exit from the Hard Rock Stadium, she hired Roig, the former alternate coach of Nadal from 2005 to 2022.
Apart from the Spanish legend, Roig has also worked with Matteo Berrettini, British star Emma Raducanu, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The Warsaw, Poland, native trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy with Roig. She spent time with the ‘King of Clay’ at his academy, which caught the attention of the hosts of the ‘Nothing Major Show.‘
After John Isner asked what Świątek is learning from Nadal and the scope of the partnership, Sam Querrey shared that her training with the legend was for a mental boost rather than a long-term partnership.
He mentioned, “Francisco Roig, it will hopefully help out. Rafa spent an afternoon with her on the court. Like it was super fun. They hung out. That’s, in my opinion, that’s all it is. And it’s not like Iga is going to start hitting forehands like this (Nadal styl) and whipping it around. It’s just spending the afternoon around the aura of Rafael Nadal at his academy on Clay is just good for the psyche.”
READ MORE: Iga Świątek on Rafael Nadal’s Help: “I Didn’t Have Many Expectations”
Querrey continued highlighting the Pole’s form, “Because she has not been playing well for her standards. I don’t think we’re going to see Rafa in like Madrid and Rome and Roland Garros in the Iga Świątek player box at all.”
Considering her training with Nadal, the WTA star revealed that it was a “privilege” to be guided by the legend and that she asked if he could briefly attend her training session for “inspiration,” to which he agreed. At Stuttgart, Świątek is set to clash with German Laura Siegemund in the round of 16.
