Rafael Nadal Spotted on Court With 4-Time French Open Champion

While Nadal does not appear to be formally coaching Swiatek, he did warmly welcome her to the Rafa Nadal Academy in a post on X. Beyond both being dominant on clay, they also share another connection through coach Francisco Roig, who has worked closely with both players in different capacities over the years.

For tennis fans, it was a pretty cool moment to see two of the sport’s best clay-court players exchanging ideas and spending time together on the practice court.

A Closer Look at Iga Swiatek’s New Coaching Appointment

Iga Swiatek is hoping a familiar face from Rafael Nadal’s camp can help get her season back on track.

After an uneven start to 2026, Swiatek has decided to add Francisco Roig to her team ahead of the clay-court swing. Roig spent years working alongside Nadal during some of the biggest moments of his career and was widely seen as one of the people behind many of the technical tweaks that kept the Spaniard dominating for so long.

For Swiatek, the timing makes a lot of sense. Clay has always been her best surface, but she has not looked nearly as comfortable this year as she did during her dominant run at the top of the sport. There have been flashes of her old level, but there have also been too many matches where she has looked rushed, frustrated and out of sync.

That is where Roig could make a difference. Swiatek’s game has always been at its best when she stays patient, controls rallies and waits for the right moment to attack. Roig helped Nadal master that exact style for years, so there is a belief he can help her settle back into that mindset.

It also helps that Nadal himself reportedly pointed Swiatek in Roig’s direction, making this feel like a natural fit before the French Open.