Sloane Stephens, the American tennis ace, recently shared some exciting news with her followers on Instagram. The Rafael Nadal fan has strengthened her team with a new coach. Stephens has begun her preparations for her 2023 campaign on the WTA Tour. The American tennis player will begin her season at the WTA 250 ASB Classic in New Zealand.

Stephens won the 2017 U.S. Open championship, but she has since struggled to make an impact on the biggest stage. She is hopeful that her new coach will help her recover her best form for the forthcoming season. The new coach previously worked for 18 years with the 22 Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal.

Sloane Stephens adds the former coach of Rafael Nadal to her team

Francis Roig recently announced his split from Rafael Nadal’s team. The experienced coach has spent the last 18 years helping the Spaniard sharpen his skills. He asserted that he left his position to begin a brand-new project with another team. Nadal recognized Roig as an important person in his life and thanked him for their relationship and his years of commitment.

After adding Roig to her coaching staff, Stephens shared the exciting news with her followers on Instagram.

The American has selected Francis Roig to serve as her new coach. The 54-year-old coach from Barcelona was eager to start a fresh endeavor with a new team and a promising star on the circuit. It also provided him the chance to assemble a team of his own in the next few years.

Stephens shared that she was happy to welcome Francis Roig as her new coach. She shared a picture and added in the caption, “Here’s to a successful journey together, let’s get to work.” She is one of the few African Americans, aside from the Williams sisters, who have cracked the top 10 of the WTA rankings.

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Stephens once expressed her admiration for Rafael Nadal

Stephens responded to an intriguing query during a fan-interactive session. When she was asked by a fan who her ideal mixed doubles partner would be, she was quick to answer in her tweet, “Has to be Rafael Nadal 🏆”.

Taking inspiration from her idol, Stephens plans to alter her clay court technique. During the clay court and grass court seasons, Stephens’ form tends to deteriorate. The American tennis ace wants to change this. The top-ranked player has only won WTA Tour competitions on hard courts, and she hasn’t progressed past the third round of the French Open. Sloane Stephens admitted that she had taken some inspiration from Nadal to improve her form during the clay-court season.

Can Stephens achieve her goals and claim her first title on clay in 2023?

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