AUSTRALIAN OPEN

February 6, 2021

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk to us about your approach and preparation going into the first slam of the year.

IGA SWIATEK: Basically my approach didn't change much, even though I lost in the third round of the WTA tournament before. I'm really looking forward to my first round. I'm going to play Arantxa Rus. I lost against her in Rome, so it's probably going to be a tough match. But I'm ready for it, yeah. I hope it's going to be a good revenge, but we're going to see.

Q. You're the most recent woman to win a major title. Does that increase your own expectations coming here to Melbourne? Do you think the pressure will be on?

IGA SWIATEK: Actually I feel like the more pressure than usual. We have to work with that right now. Obviously first tournament of the year isn't easy. I didn't gain much confidence after these two matches that I played.

But, you know, I'm just giving myself time. I know that it's hard sometimes to be back on tour after a win like that, after first Grand Slam. Hopefully I'm going to take it well.

I just want to, you know, enjoy being on the court, just want to play my tennis because I feel like on this tournament I didn't get the chance. So yeah.

Q. Do you feel different in yourself this time around now having won a Grand Slam? Does it feel different coming here?

IGA SWIATEK: It feels little bit different on court because I feel like people are not treating me as an underdog any more, and I have to adjust to that.

But I want it to be the same. I want to enjoy the tournament as I did enjoy like every one of it. I'm just going to try to lower my expectations and remember that it doesn't matter if I'm underdog or not, everybody is starting from the same position when they're on court. I'm going to work with that.

Q. You hadn't played in a while coming into the matches this week. How did you feel on the court? What did you gain from it, if anything?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, first of all, I already played two matches. Even though they weren't like the best ones, and I wasn't playing my best tennis, I'm already after the first match of the season so I think it's going to be easier during Australian Open to just remember how to be in competition and how to focus on matches. It's different than practicing. Even though I was practicing and sparring and playing points, it's not the same.

I hope I'm going to be in kind of a flow during Australian Open and I'm going to be competing very well. Yeah, I think few more matches would be perfect for me to play before the Grand Slam, but it's not possible in these conditions right now with the pandemic. Yeah, we have to work with that.

Q. I asked Naomi, and Naomi said maybe last year around this time that said you are thinking about going to university or college and stop playing tennis. Naomi said, No, you should keep playing tennis. Can you recall something of that story?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the truth is that last year I was still in high school. I graduated during the first lockdown. The perspective changed little bit right now. Obviously I always wanted to have, like, kind of a Plan B, so if I'm not going to be playing tennis pretty well, I'll always, I don't know, have some other options in my life.

But right now it seems that I am for sure going to be a tennis player. I know that this is my life. I'm kind of thinking of going to university anyway just to have something else, have something besides tennis to focus on, and to have some other perspective and some kind of distance.

But basically I don't think I'll have time for that, so my view didn't change a lot except that I don't think it's necessary right now. But I think it will be good for my mind to go to university.

Yeah, I really appreciate that I don't have to choose right now because many people my age have to choose the right path. I have my own and I'm happy with it.

Q. You touched on how being a major champion has changed your life. What has been the biggest surprise to you about life as a major champion?

IGA SWIATEK: The biggest surprise actually isn't like really positive, so... I would say I was always imagining that when I'm going to win a Grand Slam, I'm going to, I don't know, just enjoy it for the rest of my life, it's going to be rainbows everywhere, I'm going to be some kind of at peace in myself that I already won a Grand Slam and I reached my goal.

The truth is that humans are like that: they just want more. I'm still, like, I feel expectations even though I did something great on a French Open. I want more basically.

I feel more pressure and expectations. I also feel that it's hard, like, to prepare for that moment. I have to kind of look back on what happened since French Open and work with that right now, kind of try to go back to my roots and just enjoy playing tennis, not thinking about other stuff that came along.

Q. What do you do right now in order to feel like you're in control because there's a lot of expectations? It sounded like things are swirling a little bit. Are there tricks you have to maintain equilibrium?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, basically it's kind of hard for me right now. That's a good question.

What am I doing (laughter)? Well, first of all, I am trying to think about the smallest things, like going back to my roots, just playing tennis. I'm trying to enjoy that I'm here. Forget about the tournament, forget about my practices, just living in the moment and being happy that I can travel and I can be here.

I don't know. We're going to go to the beach right now after the media, so maybe that's going to help. Yeah, just enjoying small things. But it's not easy. I'm trying to do that.

Q. What is the challenge of playing Rus and what makes her a difficult opponent?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, when we played against each other in Rome, it was hard for me because that was my first match on clay, and I was really looking forward to it. My expectations were high. She was playing actually really great tennis. She was playing really tough top spins and I think the conditions were perfect for her. She seemed like she could play really long rally and she didn't even get tired.

Hopefully on this surface it's going to be different, better for me. I'm going to use some other weapons than I tried in Rome. Yeah, but I think it was hard for me because it was my first match on clay. Even though I love clay, even after a few days of preparation, it's not enough for me, so yeah.

Q. You said you're no longer treated as an underdog. How do you feel about that? Is it the way that people treat you, the way opponents play against you?

IGA SWIATEK: The thing is that before French Open, like, I don't know, if I would be practicing with, for example, Elina Svitolina, because we practiced in Rome and we practiced here. I remember when I was playing against her in Rome, we played a sparring. We had 6-6. That was kind of a thing in my mind. I thought, Whoa, I'm playing with such a player and we were playing like on the same level. Wow, that's great. I felt really good about myself.

Right now I feel that after French Open my expectations got a little bit higher. When I play good tennis I expect from myself that I'm going to win with even more advantage.

But actually it was just two weeks. My practice with her in Rome was just few months ago. Like, physically nothing changed, only my attitude. It's hard also to deal with that because on the French Open I won against some of the great players. That can really, like, mess with the head sometimes.

Q. The phone situation. In Paris you didn't use your phone. What is your relationship with your phone in Australia?

IGA SWIATEK: Usually when I'm outside of Poland I'm not using it because when I am on tournaments, I have excuses that I can read a book all day or watch Marvel movies. In Poland I don't have this excuse because I'm not on tournaments. I'm not using it a lot. Especially because there's a big time change from what we have in Poland. When I want to talk to everybody, they're asleep. That also helps with not using my phone.

Q. When did you decide to change your racquet after Roland Garros?

IGA SWIATEK: I basically change it after every season. I felt that I want to have a contract and be a part of a family, like I am right now with Tecnifibre, that has a future. I basically didn't have time to do that. With all the school I had during off-season, it was always hard to focus. It was hard for me to make a decision because I actually never had, like, the well-prepared racquet in my hand, the new one.

This year, Tecnifibre, they take care of me -- I'm sorry, took care of me. They made a great racquet. Technology is really great. It really suits me. It was easier just to decide.