Iga Swiatek’s New Coach Slammed by ATP Star Over “Ruthless” Decision

After a bruising Sunshine Swing, Iga Swiatek wasted no time reshaping her corner, cutting ties with Wim Fissette and swiftly bringing in Francisco Roig. Clips of her grinding on clay alongside Roig, and even Rafael Nadal, have electrified fans, signaling a fierce reset. Yet the move stunned Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who didn’t see it coming and didn’t hide his frustration after being blindsided by his coach’s sudden exit.

“It was my agent who informed me,” Mpetshi Perricard said in an interview with Franck Ramella of L’Equipe. “He (Roig) didn’t inform me directly. I thought I could trust his words. To throw all that away so quickly, it’s a shame. It’s a ruthless world. I’d never seen that before.”

The sudden exit of Francisco Roig left him shocked and struggling to process what had happened. Mpetshi Perricard explained how the emotional impact lingered as he tried to understand the situation.

“It took me a good half-day to process it. Was it because of me? Actually, not at all. I had nothing to do with it, with videos that came out quickly (Roig with Swiatek). But I don’t think that project (with Swiatek) was put together in 24 hours.”

24th April 2019, Real Club de Tenis, Barcelona, Spain; ATP Tennis Herren 500, Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, day 3; Francis Roig, coach of Rafa Nadal during practise at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona court PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxSWExNORxDENxFINxONLY ActionPlus12126969 MarcxGonzalezxAloma

He believed their partnership still had time to grow and had expected stability at least for a few more months.

Mpetshi Perricard said their plan was to work together at least until the grass court season in late June. He had even committed to working closely with Roig during the clay court preparation phase.

“However, up to that point, everything had been going very well. We were going to meet for a training week in Spain.” So far, Mpetshi Perricard’s 2026 season has not gone according to plan, adding to the frustration surrounding this episode.

The Frenchman has yet to begin his clay court campaign and currently sits at World No. 57 with a 5-9 record, including early exits at Indian Wells and the Miami Open during the Sunshine Swing.

This situation reflects a deeper instability in his career, especially after splitting with longtime coach Emmanuel Planque earlier this year. After that breakup, he briefly worked with Philippe Dehaes before the short-lived partnership with Roig ended abruptly.

Since his breakthrough run to the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2024, his progress has stalled despite possessing one of the most powerful serves among young players.

Now, Mpetshi Perricard is trying to rebuild again, bringing in former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski to join Dehaes in a new coaching setup.

“And that’s not bad at all,” the former world No. 31 said about Rusedski. “We were in contact when I was looking for a coach. He was very interested and has a similar style to mine: big serve, strong presence at the net, offensive player. I was convinced he could help me.” 

Greg Rusedski’s experience, especially as one of the most dominant serve-based players of his era, is expected to help sharpen Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s on-court identity. 

And while the Frenchman has openly hit out at Francisco Roig for effectively ditching him for Iga Swiatek, the situation has grown more tangled with Swiatek’s former coach also weighing in on his latest elimination, adding another layer of tension.

Wim Fissette reflects on split with Iga Swiatek

After years of coaching top players, Wim Fissette understands how unforgiving tennis can be at the highest level. He knows that when results fail to meet expectations, the coach is often the first to be replaced.

Players cannot remove themselves, and when other team members have stronger or longer relationships, the coach becomes the easiest change. That reality did not surprise Fissette when Iga Swiatek decided to part ways with him last month.

“There are some teams that can stay really calm under, let’s say, difficult conditions. Others feel like something needs to change.” Fissette said during an interview this week.

“As in every sport, it’s always first the coach that has to go. At the highest level in sports, this is part of the job. You have to accept that.”

Swiatek, now 24, was already one of the most dominant players in the sport when Fissette joined her team. She had five Grand Slam titles, a 37-match winning streak, and had spent 125 weeks as world No. 1.

By late 2024, ranked No. 2, her expectations remained extremely high, with anything less than more Grand Slams and a return to No. 1 seen as failure.

“They were almost unbeatable for a few years,” Fissette said. “The expectations are going to be super high. Every loss will hurt extra. I was aware of the difficulties in this project. It was impossible to do better.”

And while the situation has taken a sharper, more uncomfortable turn with both Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Wim Fissette opening up about their experiences, the sport refuses to pause, rolling straight into the clay-court season as attention shifts to what unfolds next.

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