Iga Swiatek has been training with Francisco Roig and Rafael Nadal in Manacor ahead of the clay-court season.
After the Pole split from Wim Fissette, Swiatek hired Roig as her new coach.
They began their coaching partnership at the Rafael Nadal Academy, where Swiatek has been seen training with both Roig and the 58-year-old’s former pupil, Nadal.
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!
It’s unclear whether Nadal will continue to help Swiatek throughout the clay season, but it’s certainly worrying some of her WTA Tour rivals…
Jessica Pegula jokes it ‘should be illegal’ for Rafael Nadal to coach Iga Swiatek
During the latest episode of ‘The Player’s Box Podcast‘, former Australian Open champion Madison Keys delivered her verdict on Swiatek’s decision to change coaches.
“I mean, Iga [Swiatek] won Wimbledon last year,” said Keys.
“I guess it’s a little hard for Iga, because the bar is now number one.
WTA Rankings
| Rank | Name | Country | Career-high ranking | Points |
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 1st (85 weeks) | 11,025 |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 2nd | 8,108 |
| 3 | Coco Gauff | USA | 2nd | 7,278 |
| 4 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 1st (125 weeks) | 7,263 |
| 5 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 3rd | 6,243 |
| 6 | Amanda Anisimova | USA | 3rd | 5,995 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 3rd | 3,965 |
| 8 | Jasmine Paolini | Italy | 4th | 3,907 |
| 9 | Victoria Mboko | Canada | 9th | 3,531 |
| 10 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 5th | 3,121 |
“That’s a tough bar to live up to every single year.”
World number five Jessica Pegula was also keen to share her thoughts on Swiatek’s decision to work with Roig and Nadal.
“I feel like that’s perfect for Iga, though,” she said.
“I saw the clip of them on the clay, I was like, ughhh, this is bad for everybody!
“This should be illegal.”
Keys agreed with Pegula’s assessment.
“I was like, Oh God,” she said.
“The last thing we needed Iga to have on the clay was Rafa!”
Nadal is the greatest clay-court player of all time.
The Spaniard broke several records on the red dirt.
Rafael Nadal’s clay-court records
- 81 consecutive match wins on clay
- 63 clay-court titles
- 14 French Open titles
- 11 Monte Carlo Masters titles
- 12 Barcelona Open titles
Growing up, Swiatek idolised Nadal, and has already created a clay-court legacy of her own.
Iga Swiatek’s clay-court achievements at 24
- 10 clay-court titles
- 4 French Open titles
- 3 Italian Open titles
With Nadal in her corner, in whatever capacity, Swiatek may well rediscover the clay-court form that struck fear into her opponents before her disappointing 2025 campaign.
Iga Swiatek’s clay-court campaigns
| Year | French Open result | Clay titles | Clay Win/Loss record | Clay win % |
| 2025 | SF | 0 | 11-4 | 73% |
| 2024 | W | 3 | 26-2 | 93% |
| 2023 | W | 2 | 19-2 | 90% |
| 2022 | W | 3 | 18-1 | 95% |
| 2021 | QF | 1 | 12-2 | 86% |
| 2020 | W | 1 | 7-1 | 88% |
| 2019 | 4R | 0 | 7-3 | 70% |
And even if Nadal’s involvement is short-lived, Swiatek will still have his former coach, Roig, alongside her.
Roig was a key member of Nadal’s team throughout his career, as the Spaniard won 22 Grand Slam titles.
There are reasons to be excited if you’re a fan of the Pole, but when will she play her first clay-court tournament this year?
Iga Swiatek will join Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in Stuttgart
Following her shock Miami Open exit, Swiatek withdrew from Poland’s Billie Jean King Cup squad.
She is, however, still expected to compete at the upcoming Stuttgart Open.
Swiatek is a former two-time champion in Stuttgart and will return as the fourth seed in a stacked field this year.
Top eight seeds in Stuttgart
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka
- 2. Elena Rybakina
- 3. Coco Gauff
- 4. Iga Swiatek
- 5. Elina Svitolina
- 6. Jasmine Paolini
- 7. Mirra Andreeva
- 8. Karolina Muchova
From there, Swiatek will head over to Madrid and then Rome for the two clay-court WTA 1000 events.
After Rome, she will travel to Paris for the French Open, where Swiatek will be desperate to reclaim the title she lost last year.
If she can do so, she will stand alone in third place for Open Era Roland Garros women’s singles titles.
French Open women’s singles titles (Open Era)
| Rank | Name | Country | Titles | Years won |
| 1 | Chris Evert | USA | 7 | 1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986 |
| 2 | Steffi Graf | Germany | 6 | 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999 |
| T-3 | Justine Henin | Belgium | 4 | 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 |
| T-3 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 4 | 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
Swiatek won’t want to get too far ahead of herself, though, and will first focus on the Stuttgart Open.
The 2026 Stuttgart Open is scheduled to begin on Monday, April 13.
