Iga Swiatek’s coach injured, yet still present for Italian Open second round
Iga Swiatek’s coach Francisco Roig is currently dealing with a torn Achilles.
Despite the injury, he was in attendance to watch Swiatek’s second-round win over Caty McNally at the Italian Open.
After the match, Swiatek explained how Roig suffered the injury during her post-match press conference.
How Roig was injured during practice with Swiatek
“Basically, we’re having a practice on Piazza del Popolo,” she said.
“It was supposed to be a live practice. We were like, Okay, I’m going to play this fun game we were playing before. I wanted to show it to him.
“He’s really good on the volley. So we made a bet for 100€. I thought I was going to lose, honestly, because he’s been playing so great on the volley. I was like, maybe let’s play only the singles court. It’s half-court basically.
“I want to win, I’ll make you move a little bit.
“Yeah, basically I had 5-4 and the match point already. He did a split step and tore his Achilles.”
Roig didn’t waste any time in getting surgery so that he could return quickly and continue working with Swiatek at the tournament.
“It happened on Saturday. On Tuesday, he had surgery already in Warsaw,” said Swiatek.
Francisco Roig watches over Iga Swiatek as she hunts another Rome title
Roig may be less involved on court for now, but his presence and experience remain valuable for the world number three.
Swiatek, still searching for her first title of the year, will be eager to claim silverware in Rome and get her season back on track.
The second round against McNally wasn’t her sharpest performance, but there’s plenty of time to find her form as she moves deeper into the tournament.
Cocciaretto or Navarro awaits in the next round, with Swiatek expected to come through either test and move one step closer to another deep run in Rome.
A fourth title at this event would put Swiatek alongside legends like Conchita Martinez, Serena Williams and Gabriela Sabatini in Italian Open history.
She is set to play her third-round match on Sunday, May 10th. Keep an eye on all the action because this is shaping up to be a tournament you don’t want to miss.
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