Francisco Roig recently agreed to become Iga Swiatek’s new coach.
But to do so, he had to depart another player’s team.
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!
According to the Frenchman, Roig split from Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard without telling him.
During the latest episode of ‘Love All‘, Kim Clijsters shared her thoughts on Roig’s conduct.
Kim Clijsters can understand why Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was disappointed with Francisco Roig
“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.
“I think that everything that’s attached to Rafa [Nadal], you set a very high standard, so it was surprising to hear that there was maybe no… unless maybe he missed something! I don’t know, if there was no conversation, that’s understandably disappointing from his side.
“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, but yeah.. It is what it is, the world keeps turning.”
Clijsters is right, as Mpetshi Perricard has already moved on.
After the short-lived drama, Mpetshi Perricard hired Greg Rusedski as his new coach.
Roig has also moved on, working alongside Swiatek and Rafael Nadal in Manacor.
The Belgian is looking forward to seeing what Swiatek can achieve after spending time training at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
“We’ve seen some images of Iga training at Rafa’s academy, and the intensity is definitely there, even in the short little clips,” said Clijsters.
“But what an experience, to be able to be on court with Rafa, and to get to pick his brains, on one of the stages that for him was such a big part of his career.
“I’m just curious, I’m sure there are going to be plenty of journalists asking her what that was like, and soon I think we will get to hear some personal comments from her.
“I saw that her family is there as well with her, it’s nice to be able to combine the downtime with the hard work on court, and she obviously sets the bar really high, and felt like she needed to make a change in her team, and to be at Rafa’s academy.
“We will see where it goes, but it’s exciting to see her playing well, and focused, and having that energy that she brings, and at the same time, can still enjoy it, because I do feel like the enjoyment was missing a little bit, these last few tournaments.”
Swiatek enjoyed a strong second half of the 2025 season, winning Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Open, and the Korea Open.
But her form dipped in 2026, leading her to fire Wim Fissette.
Iga Swiatek’s WTA form in 2026
| Tournament | Performance | Match wins |
| Australian Open | Quarterfinals | 4 (Yue Yuan, Marie Bouzkova, Anna Kalinskaya, Maddison Inglis) |
| Qatar Open | Quarterfinals | 2 (Janice Tjen, Daria Kasatkina) |
| Indian Wells | Quarterfinals | 3 (Kayla Day, Maria Sakkari, Karolina Muchova) |
| Miami Open | Second round | 0 |
Will her form pick back up with Roig in her corner? Only time will tell…
When will Iga Swiatek and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard play their first events with new coaches?
Swiatek, like many of her WTA rivals, will begin her clay-court campaign at the Stuttgart Open.
The Pole has won the event twice before, but lost in the quarter-finals a year ago.
She will return in 2026 as the fourth seed, in a stacked field that includes the world’s top three: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.
Over on the ATP Tour, Mpetshi Perricard was forced to withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters.
Postponing his debut alongside Rusedski, the Frenchman will now look ahead to the Barcelona Open.
Missing the entry cut-off, Mpetshi Perricard will need to play qualies in Barcelona, but that might not be a bad thing.
The more matches the better at this stage, as Mpetshi Perricard looks to establish a positive working relationship with the former Grand Slam finalist.
It remains to be seen how both players will perform on clay this year, but you certainly won’t want to miss any of the action.
