What stood out in Iga Swiatek’s training session with Francisco Roig at the Rafael Nadal Academy

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Swiatek links up with Nadal and Roig as she prepares for clay swing

Iga Swiatek has been working with Francisco Roig and Rafael Nadal in Manacor as she gets ready for the upcoming clay-court season.

After going without a title on clay last year, the World No. 1 is putting in extra work to make sure she’s ready this time around.

Spending time with Nadal, who is widely considered the greatest clay-court player ever, and his former coach Roig, Swiatek is making it clear that she’s serious about bouncing back this year.

So, what differences have there been in her preparation since Roig joined her team?

Communication reported to be strong between Swiatek and Roig

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

Polish journalist Tytus Olszewski had a chance to observe Swiatek’s session with Roig and shared his thoughts on X.

“Iga [Swiatek] has fantastic working conditions at the [Rafael] Nadal Academy in Mallorca, and the collaboration with her coach looks very promising,” he said (translated from Polish).

“They communicate excellently, and Francisco [Roig] provides feedback on the spot in English.”

Olszewski also noted what the pair were focusing on during their time together.

“During today’s session, they focused on several technical aspects,” wrote Olszewski. “After the training, both looked very satisfied with the work they had accomplished.”

If you’re a fan of Swiatek, there’s plenty of reason for optimism. After a sluggish start to the season, she needed to shake things up, and early signs suggest bringing Roig into her team may pay off.

The 24-year-old hasn’t missed the year-end finals since making her debut at the event in 2021. She will want to find form quickly this year as she currently sits outside WTA Finals qualification places.

The clay-court season is where Swiatek typically shines most. It’ll be worth keeping an eye on how her ranking evolves over the next few months.

Concerns surrounding Francisco Roig and Iga Swiatek?

While things are going smoothly for now, that might not always be the case.

Roig had a lot of success with Nadal, but his time on the WTA Tour has been limited.

He spent six months working with Emma Raducanu before they parted ways earlier this year.

Following their split, Raducanu quickly reached her first WTA final since winning the 2021 US Open.

The results during their partnership weren’t impressive, and there were also questions about how Roig left his previous role to join Swiatek’s team.

Reports surfaced that Roig departed from Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard without informing him directly.

Former world number one Kim Clijsters spoke out about the situation, saying:

“That’s unbelievable,” said Clijsters.

“It is [tough for Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard] and to me, a little bit surprising, to hear it happened like that. There is a little bit of common sense and respect, even if it is hard news that you have to bring, to kind of just sit down, even if you’re in different parts of the world.”

Their time together was brief, and we’ve only heard one version of events. But if true, it does raise some concerns about how Roig handles professional relationships.

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