Iga Swiatek's split from Wim Fissette followed her shock Miami Open loss, her first opening-round exit from a tournament since 2021. She will work with Francisco Roig as her new coach. Francisco Roig spent 17 years working with Rafael Nadal, and Rafael Nadal was on court with Iga Swiatek and Francisco Roig during training, giving guidance to Swiatek. The specific terms and duration of Swiatek's partnership with Roig have not been disclosed, and the extent of Nadal's ongoing involvement remains unclear.
Emma Raducanu has parted ways with Francisco Roig following the Australian Open, marking her ninth coaching split in under five years. Raducanu is not actively looking for a new coach and will instead link up with old mentor Mark Petchey in Indian Wells this week. Mark Petchey worked with Emma Raducanu on an ad hoc basis last year, but his broadcasting commitments mean he can’t always be available. Raducanu's specific reasons for parting with Roig and her plans after the temporary stint with Petchey have not been confirmed.
This is between us. I don't want to go into details. It's definitely not something someone like me decides to do after one failure. I wouldn't make such a decision lightly.
Iga Swiatek started reevaluating her partnership with Wim Fissette during the Qatar Open in February. Iga Swiatek has struggled to find her rhythm in 2026, exiting the Australian Open and Indian Wells at the quarter-final stage. She tends to perform better on clay, having won four of her six Grand Slam titles at the French Open. Swiatek's recent form has raised questions about her preparation for the upcoming clay court season, where she has historically excelled.
Other WTA players are also making coaching changes, with Amanda Anisimova announcing she is parting ways with coach Rick Vleeshouwers. In injury news, Aryna Sabalenka will be absent from Germany later this month after picking up an injury in Miami. The timing of Sabalenka's injury could impact her participation in upcoming tournaments as the clay season approaches.
Sometimes you can see me as an emotional person, but I really don't make decisions impulsively. I'm quite rational. I like to give myself time to make decisions. Besides, I don't make many changes within the team. I think that's a very good approach. I like to give the team the opportunity to ‘reset’ and start working a little differently.
However, in this case, I felt it was simply time for a change. Yes, it wasn't a decision made in Miami – it was a longer process during which I carefully considered everything.
During the tournament in Doha, I realised I wasn't feeling as good on court as I had before. Of course, different tournaments can have different reasons for a poor performance—sometimes I just know I wasn't focused that day, sometimes my forehand was failing, sometimes something else. It happens. But I felt like I wasn't playing as well, and that's why I started losing confidence.
After my loss to Maria Sakkari, we sat down and had a long talk. We discussed what to change and how to approach the following week so I could get back to my solid game. And indeed, we made some progress before Indian Wells. But when I considered the whole picture, I decided I needed a change. Honestly, I learned a lot about myself during this process. There were different moments, different approaches and retreats – this stage lasted several weeks.
welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter