New Delhi: World No. 4 Iga Swiatek has announced a coaching change, bringing in Francesco Roig, who worked with him earlier. Rafael Nadal. The 24-year-old shared the update on Instagram, writing, “Welcome to the team, Francesco! Excited for this new chapter.”The former world number 1 publicly acknowledged his support for the legendary Rafael Nadal.“You know, Rafa is my idol and basically the only person I’ve seen play tennis as a kid. He’s also been kind enough to talk to me and give me tips many times throughout his career. He’s someone I can turn to when I need help. To have someone who’s the best — the GOAT, in fact — is obviously a wonderful opportunity,” and I told Swickport if it could be taken advantage of.“Rafa is very open. He’s a great guy. Just having his number and being able to contact him is a huge honor. But honestly, whether he helped me or not, I’d like to keep him between us, because he’s part of the story. I don’t want to put him in an awkward position,” Switek added.“It’s between us. I don’t want to go into details. It’s certainly not something someone like me decides to do after one failure. I don’t take a decision like that lightly,” she said.The move comes shortly after Switek parted ways with his former coach Wim Fiset following a disappointing second-round exit at the Miami Open. It marked his first tournament exit in almost three years, highlighting a dip in form.Switek has had an inconsistent run this season, lacking in major tournaments. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, Qatar Open, and Indian Wells, raising concerns about her performance level.A coaching switch appears to be the answer to those struggles, as the former world No. 1 looks to regain momentum and confidence ahead of the upcoming tournaments.Roig, 58, brings significant experience, having spent years working alongside Nadal’s team alongside Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya. He has also coached top players such as Emma Radocano, Matteo Beratini, and Giovanni Mapatchi Pericard.With Roig joining his team, Swiatek will be hoping his experience will help him rediscover his best form and compete strongly in the coming months.
