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Iga Swiatek is looking to turn her season around when she starts her clay court campaign at the Stuttgart Open on Tuesday, April 14, relying on the expertise of her new coach Francisco Roig. The world number four has had a mixed start to the year and hopes Roig’s technical understanding will help her get back into form on her favorite surface. But who is your new coach?
The Polish six-time Grand Slam champion lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and at the tournaments in Doha and Indian Wells before suffering a surprise second-round defeat to Magda Linette at the Miami Open last month.
Who is Iga Swiatek’s new coach, Francisco Roig?
That prompted Swiatek to part ways with her coach Wim Fissette and hire Roig, who worked with her idol Rafa Nadal from 2005 to 2022 and, more recently, Britain’s Emma Raducanu. “I am very happy to start with Francis,” said Swiatek at a press conference in Stuttgart.
Iga Swiatek says she feels honored that Rafa Nadal took the time to help her with her training: “I asked if it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration and also hear some feedback from him.” It was truly a privilege to have him on the pitch.
“How was that…” pic.twitter.com/gJ7fT8B70W
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 13, 2026
“Basically I was looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also someone experienced enough to help me in different situations. I feel like Francisco has seen it all on tour.
“It’s going really great… I was able to find a new coach pretty quickly, which is a positive thing because when you do it in the middle of the season, it’s nice to have some security in that.”
Swiatek, who has won four French Open titles on her favorite clay courts, began preparations for the Grand Slam, which begins on May 24, with a training block at Nadal’s academy in Mallorca under the Spaniard’s watchful eye.
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“I asked if it would be possible for him to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration and also hear some feedback from him,” Swiatek said.
“It was a privilege to have him on the pitch. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations because I know he is very busy and has a lot to do, even though he always has different projects and so on.”
“Now I will continue with Francisco. He will be the person who will take care of the whole process. That is the plan for now.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
