Iga Swiatek's new coach roasted for how he dumped his last player

Swiatek's new coach Francisco Roig is facing heavy criticism for the way he abandoned young French player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard before taking the job.

Best known for his nearly two decades as Rafael Nadal's assistant coach, Roig had only been working with Mpetshi Perricard for a matter of weeks when he abruptly ended the partnership after the Miami Open.

What made the situation particularly controversial was how he chose to deliver the news, or rather, how he did not. Rather than speaking directly to his player, Roig informed Mpetshi Perricard's agent, who then passed the message along.

"Look, with Francisco Roig, this situation was handled poorly. He told Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's agent that he was moving on to Iga Swiatek, and then the agent told the player. From my standpoint, that's ridiculous. That's awful from a coach. Call your player directly and tell them you're moving on, it's not that big of a deal," former American doubles specialist Nicholas Monroe said on the Big T Podcast, a Tennis Channel production co-hosted by Brad Gilbert.

"Go to the player first. Don't go through the agent or the back door," Monroe added.

Gilbert also weighed in, noting that Roig had previously coached Sloane Stephens without great success, and pointing out that several of his solo coaching stints have been brief.

Monroe expanded on this, noting that Roig's work with Matteo Berrettini lasted around nine months, his time with Emma Raducanu around five or six months, and his collaboration with Mpetshi Perricard just a single month.

Mpetshi Perricard himself confirmed the account in an interview with L'Equipe.

"With Francisco, the collaboration was supposed to last at least until the grass season. But after Miami, he decided to stop. Everything was going so well. We were supposed to meet for a training week in Spain," the 22-year-old said.

"I trusted his word, I trusted what he could bring. That everything ended so quickly, it's a shame. It's a tough and ruthless world. I had never seen anything like it."

"It was my agent who informed me. He didn't inform me directly," Mpetshi Perricard continued.

"But it took me half a day to process it. Was it my fault? Not at all. I had nothing to do with it, especially considering the videos that came out so quickly with Swiatek. But personally, I don't think this project with her was built in 24 hours," he added.

That last point is a significant one. Videos of Swiatek training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca with both Roig and Nadal surfaced on social media almost immediately after the announcement, suggesting to many that the transition had been in the works before Mpetshi Perricard was told anything.

Swiatek parted ways with Belgian coach Wim Fissette following a difficult spell that included a second-round defeat to world number 50 Magda Linette at the Miami Open.

The partnership with Fissette had lasted 17 months and produced a Wimbledon title, but relations had deteriorated in recent months. Roig was brought in as a replacement, with the pair meeting at the Nadal Academy ahead of Swiatek's return to competition at the Stuttgart Open, which begins this week.

Currently ranked 56th in the world, Mpetshi Perricard has moved quickly to rebuild his coaching setup, bringing in former British number one and US Open finalist Greg Rusedski alongside his interim coach Philippe Dehaes.

"He was very interested and has a similar style to mine. Big serve, strong presence at the net, offensive player," Mpetshi Perricard said of Rusedski.

"And that's not bad at all."