Francisco Roig has quite the resume as a tennis coach, having worked with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Emma Raducanu, and Iga Swiatek already in his career.
The Spanish coach worked alongside Nadal for much of his dominance on the ATP Tour, which brought the King of Clay several Grand Slam titles.
Roig was enlisted to work with Swiatek when she split with Wim Fissette earlier this year, following a run of disappointing results in the 2026 season.
Swiatek has already won the Canadian Open under Roig and she has shown real signs that she could be set to find the sort of form that brought her six Grand Slam titles between 2020 and 2025.
Roig has opened up about his partnership with Swiatek after just a few months together and the Spanish coach has compared her to Nadal in several ways.
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Asked if there were any similarities between Nadal and Swiatek in an interview with Eurosport, Roig responded: “One thing they have in common is the stance they take before hitting the ball. It’s a comfortable stance; you know they’re not going to miss that shot.
“Maybe she’s not at that level now, but when Iga was winning, you knew he wouldn’t miss. Both were capable of hitting a ball 100 times and getting it in 99, with a margin of error and spin that was a constant nuisance. Another point they have in common is the number of shots they save when they’re in a tight spot.
“They save chances that show they’re superior because they have that ability to get the ball in no matter what. In that respect, they’re quite similar.”
Roig was then asked if Swiatek and Nadal are similar in the way they react to a defeat.
“Well, there are defeats and defeats; some you don’t expect, and others can happen,” said Roig. “The funny thing about Rafa is that you never thought he could lose.
“It was tough when he lost, but he handled it very well; he accepted it. It’s the same with Iga… this year I remember losing in the Rome semifinals to Svitolina; maybe that one hurt a little more.”
Swiatek will next be in action at the China Open, where she will be the eighth seed at the penultimate Masters event on the WTA Tour calendar.
The Pole has received a bye into the second round of the tournament and she will await the winner of Panna Udvardy or Gao Xinyu in Beijing.
Swiatek has only ever played the China Open twice previously in her career. Those came in 2023, when she lifted the title and 2025, when she was beaten in the fourth round by Emma Navarro.
