Rafael Nadal split with his long-time coach Francisco Roig at the end of the 2022 season, ending one of tennis’s most enduring and successful partnerships.
Roig joined Rafa’s team in 2005 and has been part of each of Rafa’s 22 Grand Slams during an illustrious career.
Rafa posted on social media:
“I want to inform you that Francisco Roig leaves the team and starts a new personal project as coach.
“After 18 seasons with me, he started by joining the team and worked with us alongside my uncle Toni and subsequently alongside Carlos Moya and recently Marc Lopez.
“Francisco has been an important person in my career and I am so grateful to him for all these years of work and friendship.
“When we started working together, I was a kid and along with my uncle Toni, we started at the track. Francisco is a great technician who knows tennis very well and has helped me a lot to get better and better. I have only words of thanks and wish him all the luck in the world in his new project!”
Rafa has a strong backroom team behind him and still has Carlos Moya part of his team, after linking up with Nadal five years ago.
Marc Lopez also joined his coaching staff a year ago and the Spaniard is still in a strong position heading into the 2023 season.
Source: Eurosport
Haha!! Rafa’s not messing around and he hasn’t wasted any time in getting a new addition to the team. Out goes Francis Roig in comes Gustavo Marcaccio. Rafa is always seeking to improve and I wish Gustavo all the best.
Welcome and best of luck to Gustavo Marcaccio, new member of Rafa’s coaching team👏😊🎾❤️
I believe Coach Roig had been working part time with another player, so this news does not surprise me. Rafa will play fewer tournaments in 2023 too. Francisco has been a very loyal member of Rafa’s team and young enough to expand his coaching duties to others. I am sure they will continue to be friends, but this is a natural progression as Rafa nears the end of his career. I only wish Francisco the best n
Its a shame but not unexpected that Young Voter would come up with such twisted perception of the parting of Rafa and Francisco. Francisco has been there with Rafa every step of his phenomenal career & it was a mutual decision for both of them . I just read that Rafa is opening a chain of luxury hotels. Next year the first one will opened in Mallorca and then globally. He also has a couple restaurants that are in very high end areas. Rafa is not only an icon in tennis but has become quite an Entrepreneur as well! With his new baby and all his other endeavors Rafa will be a very busy man post tennis!
Imagine that when you have been hard for and with your boss for more than 18 years and there was a leader job that was open and your boss hired someone else instead of promoting you to that leader position. You would be silently hurt. Imagine your boss asked you to go to the desert to work and he got rib fracture and asked you to go home. Imagine your boss then asked you to go to England for 2 weeks then complained of a stomach tear and ask you to go home. Then imagine your boss asked you go to New York for a two week job. Then after 1 week your boss got sick and asked you to go home, changing your plans. Imagine you boss has a new baby, then bring his wife to work. Then you have a practice meeting, then your boss canceled it because of last minute diaper change. Then imagine Spanish reporter asks you why you are quitting, you would smile and say only good things and say that you have other opportunies lining up. I am not saying all this happen to any worker but I am just stating the observation only.
If Francisco has decided that he wants to be a primary coach for someone else, Rafa will be fine with that.
I don’t believe his leaving has anything to do with Rafa’s injuries or his baby. Pure speculation without any foundation. I do wonder what motivates you to say these things! No genuine Rafafan would ever say them or even think them! I think you would be happier supporting someone else. How about Djokovic? He might be a better fit for you.
Yes, Ginagigi. This guy is no Rafa fan but is a Djokovic troll most likely. He has nothing good to say, yet, mouthed all that nonsense without any basis. Pathetic trolling.
Will be sad to see him leave
As Rafa winds down his career he doesn’t need all his coaches. Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez were added & that’s a lot! Not sure how coaches get paid but I’m sure they need to still work. It is difficult to see uncle Toni sitting in Felix‘s box while playing against Rafa… just doesn’t look right! It will be equally hard to see coach Roig in someone else’s box as well! Meanwhile it’s wonderful to see Rafa
enjoying fatherhood…. Baby Rafa is adorable and is bringing his mommy and daddy so much joy!
Wishing Francis Roig all the very best as he moves on to pastures new as a coach. He’s been a loyal and committed member of Rafa’s team all these years, so he leaves with mutual respect, love and appreciation.
Sometimes changes can help.
Thanks for the incredible years with Rafa❤️
It’s all good, Rafa. You know what you need in a coach better than anyone else. I’m sure you will continue your friendship with Roig and move forward. Waiting anxiously for AO! (In the USA we are stuck with horrid pickle ball on Tennis channel…. ugg!)
Vamos, Rafa!
The pay may no longer outweigh the combination of research, training, traveling time spent away from family and other opportunities. And if we include the heartbreak and waiting time for multiple injuries to heal, it becomes even more disruptive for a coach. Imagine if you are working and your boss keeps getting sick or injured at regular intervals, your work and life would become so disruptive and difficult.
What other person has coached their tennis player to 22 Major Championships? I’m sure Coach Roig has found all that success to be very disruptive.
Hear hear David. I am sure Francisco has very much enjoyed being part of Rafa’s fantastic success on Tour. I don’t believe for one moment that he will have any regrets about working with Rafa all these years. No one would.
Rafa-hope your preparation for the AO continues smoothly despite this news. Best of luck in
adjusting to this change👍👏🎾🍀❤️
Francis is such a great guy and great coach as well as a friend to Rafa. It has to be sad for Rafa to see him leave the team.
😔 All the best to Coach Roig. 🙏