Matteo Berrettini will start next season with a new coach after deciding to part ways with Francisco Roig, who used to work with Rafael Nadal.
The Italian is currently preparing to compete at the Paris Masters. He entered the draw for the final Masters 1000 tournament of the season after Sebastian Korda withdrew due to an injury.
Although Berrettini's powerful game can trouble anyone at its best, the Paris Masters draw handed him a challenging opening-round match against Alexei Popyrin, who won this year's Canadian Open in Montreal.
Berrettini shocked fans before his appearance in the French capital by splitting from his coach of ten months, Francisco Roig, despite the pair achieving some notable results together.
Roig was a doubles specialist on the ATP Tour during his playing career. The 56-year-old won nine titles and reached 12 other finals, mostly alongside fellow Spaniard Tomas Carbonell.
However, he is better known for being a member of Rafael Nadal's team from 2005 until 2022, acting as one of his coaches alongside other figures such as his uncle, Toni Nadal, and Carlos Moya.
Roig amicably left the 22-time Grand Slam champion's team in December 2022 to work with Berrettini. When announcing his departure, Nadal thanked Roig and paid tribute to his impact over the years.
When they began their partnership, Berrettini was sidelined with a right ankle injury sustained at the US Open. The 28-year-old returned in March at a Challenger event in Phoenix, where he reached the final.
He then had a run to glory in just his third tournament with Roig as his coach. Berrettini won the Marrakech Open in Marrakech, triumphing against Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets in the final.
That was followed by back-to-back titles in July at the Swiss Open and the Kitzbuhel Open. Incredibly, Berrettini did not drop a set in the ten matches he played in total across the two events.
All three of those titles were on clay. Roig was a clay court specialist during his career and worked with Nadal, the greatest clay court player ever. That means his positive effect on Berrettini's results on the dirt, in particular, is unsurprising.
The former world No. 6 has not had that level of success on hard courts since. Berrettini's quarterfinal appearance at the Vienna Open was his best result on the surface since reaching that final in Phoenix in March.
In his statement about the split, Berrettini did not go into detail about why he and Roig decided to part ways but paid a warm tribute to the coach, thanking him for his work during their time together.
"Hello everyone! I wanted to let you know that Francisco Roig and I have decided to end our professional relationship. I can only thank him for all the work he's done this year, his dedication, and the results we've achieved together."
"It was a professional experience that allowed me to grow immensely, both on and off the court. I wish him all the best for the future and send him my heartfelt good luck. Thank you."
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