'Having Nadal's number is ...': Iga Swiatek's new coach has Rafa connection

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 the update on Instagram, writing, "Welcome to the team, Francisco! Very excited for this new chapter."The former World No. 1 publicly acknowledged the support from legendary Rafael Nadal.“You know, Rafa is my idol and basically the only person I watched play tennis as a child. He was also kind enough to talk to me several times during his career and give me tips. He’s the person I can turn to if I need help or have a problem. Having someone so experienced – the best, the GOAT, in fact – is obviously a fantastic opportunity, and I’ll take advantage of it if I can," Swiatek told Sport.pl. “Rafa is very open. He’s a great guy. Just having his number and being able to contact him is a huge honour. 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 position,” Swiatek added.“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,” she said.The move comes shortly after Swiatek parted ways with her former coach Wim Fissette following a disappointing second-round exit at the Miami Open. It marked her earliest tournament exit in nearly three years, highlighting a dip in form.Swiatek has had an inconsistent run this season, falling short in key tournaments. She exited in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, Qatar Open, and Indian Wells, raising concerns about her performance levels.The coaching switch appears to be a response to these 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 closely with Nadal’s team alongside Toni Nadal and Carlos Moya. He has also coached top players like Emma Raducanu, Matteo Berrettini, and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.With Roig joining her team, Swiatek will hope his experience can help her rediscover her best form and compete strongly in the coming months.