Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal (Photo by AP) NEW DELHI: World No. 4 Iga Swiatek has announced a coaching change, bringing in Francisco Roig, who previously worked with Rafael Nadal. The 24-year-old shared an update on Instagram, writing: “Welcome to the team Francisco! Excited for this new chapter.”The former world number one publicly acknowledged the support of the legendary Rafael Nadal.“You know, Rafa is my idol and basically the only person I watched play tennis as a kid. He was also kind enough to talk to me several times throughout his career and give me tips. He’s the person I can turn to when I need help or have a problem. Having someone so experienced – the best, actually GOAT – is obviously a fantastic opportunity and I’ll take it if I can,” Swiatek told Sport.pl.
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Jay Shah’s 2036 Olympics plan for India: ‘8 medals won’t cut it’ “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 it between us because he’s part of this story. I wouldn’t want to put him in an awkward situation,” added Swiatek.“It’s between us. I don’t want to go into details. It’s definitely not something someone like me decides to do after one setback. I wouldn’t make a decision like that lightly,” she said.The move comes shortly after Swiatek split with her former coach Wim Fissett following a disappointing second-round exit at the Miami Open. It marked her first tournament exit in nearly three years, highlighting a dip in form.Swiatek has had an inconsistent run this season, falling behind in key tournaments. She exited in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, Qatar Open and Indian Wells, raising concerns about her performance level.A coaching change appears to be the answer to these problems as the former world number one looks to regain momentum and confidence ahead of the upcoming tournaments.Roig, 58, brings considerable experience, having worked closely with Nadal’s team for years alongside Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya. He also coached top players such as Emma Raducanu, Matteo Berrettini and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.With Roig joining her team, Swiatek will be hoping his experience will help her rediscover her best form and compete strongly in the coming months.
