Emma Raducanu has reached an agreement to work with former top-60 player Francis Roig, who is best known for working with Rafael Nadal for nearly 20 years.
According to multiple media reports, the world No.33 has paired up with Roig after a successful stint with Mark Petchy, who couldn’t continue his role due to other existing commitments. Raducanu is currently enjoying a rise in her form on the Tour. At Wimbledon, she reached the third round before losing in two tightly contested sets to Aryna Sabalenka. More recently, she reached her first WTA semi-final of the season at the Citi Open in Washington. Then at the National Bank Open, she won two matches before suffering a one-sided loss to Amanada Anisimova.
The hope for Raducanu is that she will be able to continue her surge with the help of Roig, who was part of Nadal’s team between 2005 and 2022. A former French Open doubles quarter-finalist, the 57-year-old has also worked with Matteo Berrettini for around a year until October 2024.
One of the most interesting aspects of the new partnership is how Roig’s success in working with male players will transfer to his work with Raducanu. According to Feliciano Lopez, he is one of the most skilful coaches in the world.
“Technically, I think he’s the best coach in the world,” Lopez was quoted as saying in Christopher Clarey’s book The Masters. “He doesn’t use that much video analysis, but he sees things that the rest of the coaches don’t see. He’s able to see things in Rafa’s forehand or movement that no other guys would notice, and it allowed them to be very specific and precise.”
It has been reported that the two have already started working together in Cincinnati, which is where the next WTA 1000 event will take place. This is the last big event to take place before the US Open, which Raducanu won in 2021. However, she hasn’t won a match at the Grand Slam since.
