INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 13, 2021

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/B. Krejcikova

3-6, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Your thoughts on what it was like to play that match. You're showing an ability to get through these tough matches.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, that's the most important thing for me. I'm really happy I could win that, I could turn the score around. Usually in this situation I was the kind of person that was kind of giving up mentally. Today, even though I wasn't feeling completely, like, perfect on court, I had some issues as well. I could manage with everything and just win points.

Maybe it wasn't like my style, but the most important thing I was just winning point by point and just trying to stay in the game.

Q. When you talk about the 'issues', what would you say they were today for you?

IGA SWIATEK: I just had tough day, like, mentally. It was hard for me to be positive. I kind of stopped thinking in the middle of the match, just played. I was little bit off because of that. I thought it's better idea to not be super emotional about everything, just staying not calm but maybe kind of in a mood like I don't care. Sometimes it helps. It helped today. I'm really happy I could be more and more solid.

It's tough playing against players like Barbora. They're not making a lot of mistakes. They're waiting for you to make a mistake. Usually I wasn't that patient. But today I'm pretty happy that I was.

Q. Talking about trying to find that calm, the mental state that you needed, you were still a little bit frustrated towards the end in the third set, but talk about saving match points, coming back in the second set, really having to manage. She didn't let you pull away.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, that was super hard. Usually when I'm feeling, like, a lot of emotions, it's hard to play these important points pretty well. You usually play these points worse than normal points because you're getting stressed.

Today, I mean, I was feeling a lot of emotions because it's impossible not to. I had this barrier in my mind. I don't know, I stayed the same when I was winning, I stayed the same when I was losing. It looked weird probably, maybe sometimes like I was tanking. It wasn't that.

I was trying to find a solution because I didn't want to get more and more angry. Yeah, it's probably like my second match when I was saving match points and I won. It's pretty weird for me. Yeah, it was tough match.

Q. The way you were kind of playing, especially in the second and third set, kind of with a few more higher balls, more patience, less pace, that's not how you want to play your tennis, so what is that like to know that you have to play a certain way that you don't particularly enjoy? Hard to get a read as to whether or not you were having much fun out there.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it was hard to have fun. I had fun when I played dropshots because today I felt them really good. Overall it wasn't fun. It was kind of brutal for me.

But, yeah, I was just questioning -- I asked myself a question what would annoy me in that situation, so I tried to do that.

So, yeah, sometimes it didn't look pretty, but I'm happy that I could do that. One year ago I wouldn't even come up with a solution like that. That's a progress.

Q. If I can ask you a non-match question, please. When you were growing up, so much of your focus would have been on developing your tennis. When you look back on those young days now, do you feel you missed out on your young days, early teenage years? If so, would you like to be able to change that?

IGA SWIATEK: No, I mean, when I was like, I don't know, 12 I felt the difference because I couldn't spend time with my friends. But really, I mean, when I grew older, I realized that it was worth it. I always have been, like, a little bit of an introvert. Yeah, tennis helped me to grow up faster and to develop different skills, not only on court but off court as well.

So, no, I wouldn't change that.

Q. You don't regret the fact that you had to devote so much of your time to develop your tennis skills rather than go shopping or mixing with a lot of friends?

IGA SWIATEK: No, no. I always was that kind of person that wants to do things that are going to pay off in the future, things that actually matter. Even today, like, when I'm playing matches I try to spend my time before and after a match in a productive way. Sometimes it's even too much because I have hard time resting. I'm working on finding that balance.

Yeah, I mean, I don't regret any of this because actually I'm one of the top players in the world, so it came out well. I don't know how I would approach this stuff if I wouldn't play as good as I am playing, if I wouldn't be playing on WTA or something.

But I think sports just helps everybody. It's just experience for the rest of your life. I think everybody, no matter what the result is going to be, it's good to have some physical activity even if it's not professional, just try out everything.

Q. Could you assess your clay season overall, maybe specifically your performance in Rome. Would you say you're growing in confidence right now or are there things you're keen on improving?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure I have many things to improve. I am getting more and more confident. Here I have hard time implementing things I don't practice on match. I'm happy that I'm going to have, like, two weeks off to train more, to have everything just perfect. I hope it's going to be like that.

I also want to play when I'm not playing my best tennis. I'm trying to learn that. That's most important thing for me.

But, no, I am feeling pretty well. For sure we're aiming for French Open, so... I hope it's going to go better.

Q. A question about your music interest. You're listening to jazz quite a bit last year. I don't know what you're into now. Have you formed any thoughts or opinions on the art of jazz? Did it do anything for you? Any artists you that really vibed off of?

IGA SWIATEK: The thing is I'm not listening -- I think people who are listening to jazz wouldn't actually call the music I listen to jazz. It's like more of a pop jazz or something like that, like Norah Jones. I listen to get calmer. Also when I'm doing some paperwork or whatever where I can actually listen to music and doing other stuff.

I mean, I don't have any strong opinions about it, sorry.

Q. No Coltrane, John Coltrane?

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry?

Q. John Coltrane.

IGA SWIATEK: Not yet.

Q. If you could look ahead to your next match, it will be either Muguruza or Svitolina. It was a year ago you were practicing with Elina.

IGA SWIATEK: Yes.

Q. Obviously you played Muguruza just a few weeks ago in the Middle East. Talk about both of those opponents.

IGA SWIATEK: I was practicing actually with Elina like two days ago. I was thinking about all this time how many things changed because I remember our first practice. I was like, Whoa, I'm playing Svitolina. I hope I'm not going to ruin her practice. I just wanted to be a good sparring partner to play with.

This time it was more equal because I'm a better tennis player than last years. But I'm going to play without any expectations because they are both really solid. I played Muguruza in Dubai. I have some tactical stuff that I want to implement this time. I have many things to improve. I was a little bit off during that match.

Elina, she's a great tennis player. She's also really solid. I mean, it's just going to be hard. I'm not going to tell you anything, like, specifically because they haven't played yet and I'm not ready with tactics. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it's going to be a good match.

I can even lose, but I just want to play good tennis. I want it to be a battle, so yeah.

Q. Looking ahead, since there is the two weeks before Roland Garros, do you know what your plan is? Are you going to go straight from Rome and hunker down in Paris? Go back to Poland? Do you know your situation?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure we're going to go back to Poland. That's like 100%. I have some sponsor stuff to do. We want to practice. We have really good conditions. I mean, hopefully weather conditions are going to be better in Poland. We have a good facility that is near to my house. It's comfortable. Everybody is from Warsaw from my team. I want them to have the time with their family.

Yeah, it's going to give us like a mental restart because we got to rest from these bubbles, right?

Q. Are you still relying on LEGOs or puzzles to rest your mind between matches?

IGA SWIATEK: So like four days ago I finished my Lamborghini. Right now I have nothing to do. I'm like this close to finish Barack Obama's biography. I'm focusing on that. On tennis, but beside tennis on that.