Iga Swiatek is preparing to make a strong impact in the claycourt season and has now formed a new partnership with coach Francisco Roig, following her split with Wim Fissette after a disappointing start to the season.
Roig previously served as an assistant coach to Rafael Nadal and, most recently, was the head coach of Emma Raducanu and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. After ending her collaboration with Raducanu following a poor run at the Australian Open, Roig decided to coach 22-year-old Perricard.
However, that partnership ended sooner than anyone anticipated. In fact, the way it ended even surprised Perricard, as his recent comments about the split revealed an unexpected story. According to the young Frenchman, he was never directly told by Roig of his decision to end ties with him; the message was instead relayed to him through his agent.
Fans online took notice of Perricard’s comments and didn’t hold back from voicing their opinion on the hasty split. Many called out Roig’s sheer lack of decency and politeness for ending the tie so quickly.
“People are being obtuse about this. It’s not about the coach choosing to work with Iga; it is the manner in which he went about the separation that’s the problem. It was unprofessional and tacky, frankly,” one fan commented.
“The termination of the partnership should be covered in the agreement. That includes notice obligation and timeframes, pr rights, and public statements. This seems awfully trashy and unnecessary,” another fan commented.
“Raducanu said Roig dumped her when she was interviewed at IW. So he left her for him like that, and then did this to him. Very unprofessional by Roig in how he handled this latest departure,” yet another fan commented.
Some other fans questioned whether the new dynamic between Roig and Swiatek will last. In contrast, others believe Roig had split with Perricard to join Swiatek’s camp, but should have broken the news decently.
“I totally get it, honestly, it’s not right, but the opportunity that Roig had with Swiatek was impossible to turn down,” one fan commented.
“I wonder how this reflects on Iga, given how her new coach seems to lack honor. Idk how to, it’s possible to trust a coach who does this,” another fan commented.
“I get dumping GMP for Swiatek, but Idk why Roig couldn’t have just called him when he made the decision. Just basic human courtesy that isn’t hard or takes much time,” yet another fan commented.
Iga Swiatek and Roig’s Latest Partnership to Debut in Stuttgart
Swiatek announced Roig as her new coach via an Instagram story after training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca ahead of the clay season. Swiatek, who has long claimed Nadal as her idol, is believed to have been a major driving force behind teaming up with Roig.
While Swiatek spoke highly of the 22-time Grand Slam champion and thanked him for allowing him to train at his academy in Spain, only time will tell whether the new partnership with Roig will flourish, as expectations are high for the Pole ahead of the claycourt swing.
Swiatek will resume play on tour at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (WTA 500) in Stuttgart from April 13 onwards. She will then head to Madrid for the maiden WTA 1000 clay tournament, set to feature all the top names in women’s tennis and scheduled to commence on April 20.
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