Francisco Roig and Rafael Nadal have been working together for a long period of time. However, Roig departed from Nadal’s coaching team a few weeks ago to pursue different options and has now joined hands with former US Open women’s singles champion Sloane Stephens. 

The world No. 3 in women’s singles was crowned champion of the US Open in 2017 but since then, she has not had much to showcase. It was announced on December 21 by the American star that Roig has joined her team to help her gather some momentum ahead of the 2023 season. 

Happy to have Francis Roig join my team as my new coach! Here’s to a successful journey together, let’s get to work,” Sloane Stephens said.

Hailing from California, Stephens hailed from a family of athletes and her stepfather was a recreational tennis player himself. She soon made the move to Florida to pursue a career in this sport and became a promising junior player in the ITF circuit. 

Stephens has won seven WTA singles titles in her career and has been in and around the top 10 rankings for nearly a decade. She rose to prominence in the 2013 Australian Open when she defeated Serena Williams in her incredible run to the semi-final. The 29-year-old is desperate to recapture her best form and is hoping for Roig to work some magic. 

It was announced on December 16 that Rafael Nadal and Roig will part ways. 

“I wanted to inform you that Francis Roig is leaving the team. Francis has been an important person in my career and I am very grateful to him for all these years of work and friendship. When we started working together I was a child and together with my uncle Toni, we started on the circuit,” Rafael Nadal announced.

Having joined the Spaniard during his teenage days, Roig has been an immense presence in helping Nadal win 22 grand slams in his career, the most by any male tennis player in history. 

On Monday (December 19), however, Nadal announced that former Argentine tennis player Gustavo Marcaccio, who has been a part of the Mallorcan’s academy since 2021 will be joining his team.