Coaching movements in WTA: Lois Boisson sets her 2026 staff as Nadal’s former coach takes on a fresh challenge

The WTA off-season always brings some changes to the coaching teams of the stars looking to boost their careers ahead of the 2026 season. Such is the case for one of the newcomers of this past season: the French player Lois Boisson, who has incorporated a renowned Spanish coach.

According to Marca, the French star—a Roland Garros semi-finalist during 2025—is now working with Carlos Martínez, former coach of stars like former world No. 7 Feliciano López and two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Boisson had been working with Martínez for a couple of months, starting during the Asian hard-court swing, in what was initially a trial period. Looking ahead to 2026, Boisson has entrusted Martínez to help her continue climbing the rankings, having achieved her best position as world No. 36, her first Major semi-final, and her first WTA-level title at the Hamburg Open, after defeating Anna Bondar in the final in straight sets.

The Frenchwoman had worked with Florian Reynet in recent years, but they parted ways shortly after the US Open. This led to the hiring of the Spaniard Martínez—who has also worked with other prominent names in recent years, such as former world No. 1 Simona Halep and former world No. 8 Daria Kasatkina.

Boisson will begin the season in her first appearance at the United Cup as the French female No. 1. She will join the 2025 Shanghai Masters finalist Arthur Rinderknech—another debutant in the tournament. The French team will face a challenging Group C featuring Italy (led by Cobolli and Paolini) and Switzerland (led by Stan Wawrinka and Belinda Bencic).

Boisson is not the only player with news regarding her coaching staff, as Spanish coach Marc Lopez will have a new foray into the WTA Tour. The former tennis player is renowned for winning the 2016 Rio Olympics doubles gold medal alongside Rafael Nadal, and after his retirement, he joined the 22-time Grand Slam champion's team—led by David Ferrer—during the latter part of Nadal’s career.

The Spaniard had his first venture on the WTA Tour during the first part of 2025, working with none other than Jasmine Paolini. During that period, the Italian remained in the Top 5 after a great 2025 and won her second WTA 1000 title at the Rome Open. However, they separated shortly after Wimbledon.

Paolini posted on social media: "I want to thank Marc Lopez for his help and support this season. We achieved great results together, especially in Rome and Paris, and I'll always remember those moments," the 2-time Grand Slam runner-up stated. "I appreciate all the hard work and energy Marc put in every day. Now that this part of the season is over, I've decided to make a change. I've learned a lot and made good progress, and now I'll take some time to reflect on what the next step will be. Thanks again, Marc, for everything. I wish you all the best for the future."

According to Marca, Lopez's new charge will be the 27-year-old Czech player Marie Bouzková, currently world No. 42. Bouzkova won her second professional title mid-year at the Prague Open, defeating her compatriot Linda Nosková in the final. Bouzková has a couple of appearances in WTA 1000 semi-finals, and her best result at a Major was the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2022. The Czech player's best ranking was No. 24, achieved in December 2022, while in doubles she reached No. 15 around mid-2024.