Perricard lashes out at Roig after teaming up with Swiatek: "I had never seen anything like it before"

Jose Morón | 4 Apr 2026 | 18.27

Perricard criticizes Roig after joining Swiatek: "I had never seen anything like it"

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Being called by a tennis player like Iga Swiatek can make you change all your plans. That's what happened to Francis Roig, who left his new project, Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard, to join the team of the Polish star. For the Frenchman, such an abrupt breakup, when they had only been together for a few weeks, hasn't sat well with him.

This is what Perricard explained to L’Equipe, clearly stating that in this coach-player world, these kinds of decisions are commonplace, for both parties. If the vibes are off or the relationship isn't flowing, or if someone else calls whose project appeals more to you, it can lead to what happened with Roig and the French player.

Mpetshi-Perricard criticizes Francis Roig

“With Francisco, the plan was to continue at least until the grass season, but after Miami, he decided to end the relationship. However, up to that point, everything had been going very well. We were going to meet for a training week in Spain. It was my agent who informed me. He didn't tell me directly. I trusted his word, what he could bring to the table. To throw all that away so quickly seems like a shame to me. Then, it's a tough, ruthless world. I had never seen anything like it. It was very surprising and disappointing. But it will serve to develop myself. I prefer to draw something positive from these situations rather than something negative. It will make me stronger, even in life.”

“We had just started, there wasn't a special bond, and it was harder to split from Manu (Planque). But it took me half a day to process it. Was it my fault? Not really. I had nothing to do with it, especially considering the videos that came out quickly (with Swiatek). But personally, I don't think this project (with the Polish player) was put together in 24 hours,” explained the Frenchman, suggesting that Roig's decision might have been brewing for a while.

New coach for him

However, Perricard moved quickly to replace Roig. The Frenchman has already put together a new team before Montecarlo. Belgian Philippe Dehaes, who collaborates with the FFT, has taken on the role temporarily, with the support of Briton Greg Rusedski, in a new trial period that started just a few days ago. “We were in touch when I was looking for a coach. He was very interested. Additionally, he had a playing style similar to mine: big server, net presence, offensive. I was convinced he could help me. And I thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’” he concluded.

Roig is spending time at Rafa's academy alongside Iga, in videos shared daily on social media, forming a very promising partnership for tennis enthusiasts, with guidance from Rafa Nadal. On the other hand, the Frenchman wasn't too pleased and evidenced a certain annoyance at the speed and decisiveness of Roig's decision as they had just started.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Perricard carga contra Roig tras irse con Swiatek: "Nunca había visto algo así"