Iga Swiatek has endured a tumultuous start to the 2026 season.
After a successful 2025 campaign, during which she won the Wimbledon title, many tennis fans would have expected Swiatek to continue performing at the highest level.
However, the Polish star has struggled to recapture her best form, most recently losing to Magda Linette in her opening Miami Open match.
How many Grand Slam titles will Iga Swiatek win with Francisco Roig as her coach?
She's signed one of the best coaches on tour!
Following her loss in Miami, Swiatek parted ways with coach Wim Fissette, trained at the Rafa Nadal Academy, and hired Francisco Roig as Fissette’s replacement.
Ahead of her first clay-court event of the year [in Stuttgart] Swiatek has discussed her new relationship with Roig while also commenting on her time working with Rafael Nadal.
Iga Swiatek says Francisco Roig will ‘take care of the whole process’
“Yeah, I mean, the process of changing coaches is for me always kind of tricky because I only did that twice in my life. So yeah, not easy decisions,” Swiatek told reporters in Stuttgart.
“I’m really happy to start with Francis. I was basically looking for someone with a good eye, really technical, but also a person that is experienced enough to help me through some different kind of situations.
“I feel like Francisco [pictured below] lived through everything probably on tour.
“Yeah, for now it’s going really amazing. It’s a start. We’re still getting to know each other. Yeah, I’m really excited. It was honestly a pretty fast process.
“I was able to find a new coach pretty fast, which is a positive thing because obviously when you do that in the middle of the season, it’s nice to have some security in that, so I could already have some even practice period with Francis in Mallorca. It was really nice.”
Swiatek went on to discuss her training block at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
Iga Swiatek’s projected path to the Stuttgart Open title
- Round One: BYE
- Round Two: Laura Siegemund / Viktoriya Tomova
- Quarter-finals: Mirra Andreeva / Jelena Ostapenko
- Semi-finals: Elena Rybakina
- Final: Coco Gauff
Swiatek, a graduate of the academy, trained on the clay courts while receiving advice from Rafael Nadal – a 14-time Roland Garros champion.
“My idea of coming to the academy appeared, like, two months ago,” Swiatek revealed during the same press conference.
“I wanted to change something in my preparation before clay, because obviously last clay season didn’t really go out how I planned. I wanted to go to Mallorca because I knew the facilities there, I knew the court. I knew I was going to do a solid work there without any other distractions.
“Yeah, I asked if it would be possible for him [Nadal] to come and maybe be some kind of inspiration, also hear some feedback from him. It was really a privilege to have him on the court.
“I honestly didn’t have many expectations because I know he’s super busy and he has a lot of stuff to do, even though he always has different projects and everything. It’s a real privilege.
“I was really honoured he was able to be there these couple days.”
The Polish star, who faces Laura Siegemund or Viktoriya Tomova in the Stuttgart Open second round, also discussed Francisco Roig’s role in her coaching setup.
“Since then, I realised that I’m going to have this new coach situation,” Swiatek continued. “I also wanted to meet Francisco. I’m happy that they were there at the same time because it also adds even more value I think to the process.
“But now I will continue with Francisco. He will be the person that takes care of the whole process. That’s the plan for now, and no other plans right now.
Do you think Iga Swiatek will win a Grand Slam this season?
Will Iga Swiatek finally defeat Jelena Ostapenko?
Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko could play each other in the Stuttgart Open quarter-finals this week.
Remarkably, Ostapenko has won all six of their previous meetings on the Tour, dating back to the 2019 Birmingham Open.
The pair last played each other in the 2025 Stuttgart Open. Ostapenko defeated Swiatek 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 and went on to win the title.
| Tournament | Winner | Score |
| 2019 Birmingham | Ostapenko | 6-0, 6-2 |
| 2021 Indian Wells | Ostapenko | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2022 Dubai | Ostapenko | 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 |
| 2023 US Open | Ostapenko | 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2025 Qatar | Ostapenko | 6-3, 6-1 |
| 2025 Stuttgart | Ostapenko | 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 |
“It was a close match, and I had my chances,” Swiatek said during her post-match press conference.
“The other times we faced each other, I could barely do anything because she was playing all the shots, taking huge risks.
“This time, I felt that I was the one in control at times, but I lost some intensity in the third set, and that ended up being fatal.”
Ostapenko has been handed a tough first-round draw in Stuttgart. The 2017 French Open champion will play Mirra Andreeva, who recently won her second title of the year in Linz.
