Emma Raducanu, the 2021 US Open champion and current world No. 33, has appointed Francisco Roig, a long-time ally of Rafael Nadal, as her new full-time coach until the end of 2025, marking another shift in her turbulent coaching history. The announcement, reported by Express.co.uk and The Guardian on August 4, 2025, follows a successful trial period with Roig after Wimbledon, with the 57-year-old Spaniard set to join Raducanu’s team for the Cincinnati Open starting August 7, 2025.
Roig, who served as Rafael Nadal’s secondary coach alongside Toni Nadal from 2005 to 2022, contributed to all 22 of Nadal’s Grand Slam titles, earning a reputation as a technical mastermind. He later coached Matteo Berrettini from 2023 to 2024, guiding the Italian to the 2023 Wimbledon final. Raducanu’s decision to hire Roig comes after a productive but temporary stint with British coach Mark Petchey, who began working with her in March 2025. Petchey’s media commitments, particularly during the US hardcourt season, made a long-term role unfeasible, prompting Raducanu to seek a full-time coach. Petchey will remain a close confidant, per The Independent.
Raducanu’s 2025 season has shown promise, with a WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Miami, a last-16 run at the Italian Open, a Queen’s Club quarterfinal, and a Citi Open semifinal in Washington, where she defeated top-10 players Jessica Pegula and Maria Sakkari. Her recent third-round exit to Amanda Anisimova (6-2, 6-1) at the Canadian Open dropped her to No. 38 in the live rankings, intensifying her push to re-enter the top 32 for a US Open seeding. Roig’s technical expertise, honed with Nadal through injury challenges, could stabilize Raducanu’s game, particularly her serve and consistency, as she aims for a deep run at Flushing Meadows, where she’s also set to play mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz.
This marks Raducanu’s eighth coaching change since her 2021 US Open triumph, following stints with Nigel Sears, Andrew Richardson, Torben Beltz, Dmitry Tursunov, Sebastian Sachs, Nick Cavaday, and Vladimir Platenik, the latter lasting just 14 days. Posts on X, like @TheTennisLetter’s, hailed the partnership as “exciting,” citing Roig’s 18-year tenure with Nadal. However, concerns linger about Raducanu’s trust in new coaches, with Daily Mail noting Roig must earn the confidence of a player who prefers a familiar inner circle. As she prepares for Cincinnati, this high-profile appointment signals Raducanu’s ambition to reclaim her place among the WTA elite.
