Iga Swiatek is a tennis player striving for improvement, aware that if she really wants to improve her form and progress in the world of tennis, she must find a way to make it happen.
The Polish player had a lot of problems at the beginning of the year, which is why she decided to end her cooperation with coach Wim Fissette.
Not long after, Iga Swiatek traveled to the Rafa Nadal Academy, where she worked with the legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal and Francisco Roig, who soon became her coach.
Rafael Nadal has always been open to helping his colleagues on the tennis scene, and it was the Spaniard who spoke to the media about his plans for the future.
When asked by a journalist if he plans to become a permanent coach, he pointed out that he is not yet ready for such challenges.
Nadal emphasized that he cannot be fully dedicated to every player, but that he is always open to help his colleagues at any time.
“I am very clear about that, I am not ready to help anyone in a diary [permanent] basis,” Nadal said on Andy Roddick’s Served Podcast
“I have plenty of things in my life which don’t allow me to put all my attention on a particular player the way that they deserve it.
That’s the truth.
But my phone is always open to any call, for any player. If they want to come to the academy for a few days I will be there.”
The experienced Spaniard claims that Iga Swiatek came last year, as did Alexander Zverev for a period of time, and adds that both tennis players learned important lessons from that experience after visiting the Rafa Nadal Academy.
The Spaniard pointed out that several other top tennis players turned to him for advice, stressing that they wanted to know how he handled certain situations. According to him, he went through similar experiences as all tennis players, and that is why he is happy to help others with his advice.
“Iga came, Sascha [Zverev] last year for a while, I had a couple of conversations with other players – some are public and some weren’t, so I don’t want to say that.
But a couple of players asked me for a tip or a conversation about how I deal with one thing or another.
I mean, if I can help the others with zero interest because all these young players and things they are living today I went through, I am happy to do it.
For me it is not a big issue and if I can be a help it’s very welcome.
Iga Swiatek already stressed in April how much of an inspiration Nadal is to her, both for her and for the rest of the WTA and ATP world. The Polish tennis player stated that the visit to the Rafa Nadal Academy was a strong motivational boost, and that she spent a lot of time on the court in Mallorca, in a week filled with work and training.
The significance of her visit to the Nadal Academy
In the past period, Iga Swiatek went through a very turbulent season marked by a drop in form, a coaching change, and several unexpected defeats. After a successful 2025 in which she won three titles, including her first Wimbledon crown, the start of 2026 turned into an extremely challenging and unstable phase for the Polish player.
The beginning of the year brought a series of early eliminations on hard courts. Among the most notable was a quarterfinal defeat at the Australian Open against Elena Rybakina, followed by early exits in Doha and Indian Wells.
The peak of the crisis came with a shocking first-round loss at the Miami Open to Magda Linetta, which ended her historic WTA record of 73 consecutive opening-match victories. Following that defeat, Swiatek admitted she felt “chaos in her head”, which ultimately led to the sudden termination of her collaboration with coach Wim Fissette.
Even the transition to her favourite surface, clay, did not immediately bring stability. She recorded mixed results, including a quarterfinal loss in Stuttgart to Mirra Andreeva, a withdrawal in Madrid due to illness, a semifinal run in Rome, and a disappointing fourth-round exit at Roland Garros against Marta Kostyuk.
In April 2026, looking to reset her preparation for the clay season, Swiatek travelled to an intensive training block at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca. The visit had a strong impact on her, particularly on a psychological and tactical level, rather than producing immediate results on court.
The most significant change during her time in Mallorca was the appointment of Francisco Roig as her new permanent coach. Roig, an experienced coach who spent more than 15 years in Rafael Nadal’s team, brought a wealth of tactical knowledge and structure to her camp.
During her stay at the academy, Swiatek also had the opportunity to train with Rafael Nadal himself. The Spanish legend provided technical advice and shared insights on mental control and handling pressure in high-level competition.
