"Beginning a new adventure" - Greg Rusedski unveiled as Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard's coach following from abrupt Roig departure

Greg Rusedski is back in the coaching game. He has come in to fill the void next to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters and beyond.

The 22-year-old has already seen a lot of coaching changes in 2026, whereas previously it was relatively quiet. He parted ways with long-term coach Emmanuel Planque. They had been together since 2021 and had enjoyed a huge rise in the sport, winning ATP titles and climbing into the top 30 in the world. However, that success has not continued and Mpetshi Perricard looked to switch things up.

Now ranked world number 57, he was hoping to add Emma Raducanu's former coach Francisco Roig to his team. However, what was supposed to be a collaboration up to the grass season ended abruptly as Iga Swiatek swooped in and took Roig all for herself, leaving him back at square one.

It now seems that Rusedski has joined the fray, accepting the call from Mpetshi Perricard as he takes his first steps back into coaching. He has coached former world number one Victoria Azarenka and hopes to draw on this when partnering with the big-serving Frenchman.

He unveiled the news on Instagram, ready to start a new chapter in his life. "Beginning a new adventure. I am back on ATP Tour coaching Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard," he wrote. "I am looking forward to working with Gio and all of his team."

Rusedski, himelsf formerly a big server, was intrigued by the project, admitting that it was not something that he could turn down. “I got a call whether it’d be interesting to work with Giovanni,” he commented on his podcast. “For some reason, they wanted another big server to work with another big server. And I decided I would give it a go."

The former US Open finalist has enjoyed his time so far with Mpetshi Perricard, underlining how long he will be there for in this current trial period. “So I came out here to Monte Carlo and I’ve been here three or four days on court with the young man. It’s going well. It’s an interesting project, so we’re having a trial at the moment, which goes all the way to the end of Wimbledon."

The Brit was in high praise of his new counterpart, eyeing up room for improvement and a chance to elevate his game. “If you have a project that interests you, you have got to give it a go and try it. I’ve always watched his game," he stated.

"I’ve always looked at him as a very talented player. I feel like there are a lot of areas we can work on and improve. And he’s such a nice guy. So, you know, you look at the personality and what you can improve. And for the first three days, it’s gone very, very well. And, you know, you’ve got to have a few weeks together to see if the relationship will build and you can get that momentum.”

Mpetshi Perricard gave his perspective to L'Equipe on how he and Rusedski crossed paths. “We were in touch when I was looking for a coach. He was very interested," he recalled. "Additionally, he had a playing style similar to mine: big server, net presence, and offensive. I was convinced he could help me. And I thought, ‘Why not give it a try?’”

The pair will look to make immediate progress at the Monte-Carlo Masters, the third Masters 1000 tournament of the year and first venture on clay in 2026. He made his debut in the tournament last year, exiting at the first round stage to Jordan Thompson.