Published On: Wed, Apr 8th, 2026

Kim Clijsters surprised by Francisco Roig’s move to Iga Swiatek: ‘that’s unbelievable’

Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images

Francisco Roig has joined Iga Swiatek’s team as her new coach.

But his arrival meant leaving another player behind.

Perricard has spoken about the split, saying Roig didn’t tell him directly.

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘Love All’, Kim Clijsters weighed in on how Roig handled the situation.

Clijsters supports Mpetshi Perricard over Roig departure

Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty Images

“That’s unbelievable,” Clijsters said.

“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.”

Mpetshi Perricard didn’t dwell on the situation for long. Not long after parting ways with Roig, he brought in Greg Rusedski as his new coach.

Roig has also moved forward. He’s now working with Swiatek and Nadal in Manacor.

The Belgian shared her excitement about Swiatek’s new path and how training at Nadal’s academy could influence her game.

After finishing the 2025 season strongly by winning Wimbledon and titles in Cincinnati and Korea Open – though she did lose both of her WTA Finals matches – Swiatek struggled in 2026. This led her to part ways with Wim Fissette following early losses at the Italian Open and Roland Garros.

Iga Swiatek went on a tear at Wimbledon 2025 when she captured her third Grand Slam title.

When will Iga Swiatek and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard make their debuts with new coaches?

Swiatek, along with many of her fellow WTA players, is set to start her clay-court season at the Stuttgart Open.

She’s a two-time champion there but was knocked out in the quarter-finals last year.

This time around, she’ll be back as the fourth seed, joining a field that features the top three in the world: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff.

On the men’s side, Mpetshi Perricard had to pull out of Monte Carlo due to injury.

His first tournament with Rusedski will now be in Barcelona, where he’s scheduled to play through qualifying after missing direct entry. It could turn out to be helpful though as it gives them more matches together early on.

It’ll be interesting to see how both players settle in with their new coaches over the coming months.

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