ROLAND GARROS

June 7, 2021

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/M. Kostyuk

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you tell us how the conditions were different from your first match here.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure, even though both matches were on Philippe Chatrier, it was totally different. You know, playing the night session at night is always hard, because you have to, like, change the whole rhythm of the day, change the routines.

So still, even though I played like many night sessions right now, I sometimes, you know, struggle at the beginning to find the rhythm and to, you know, see the ball properly with the lights, not with the sun.

Yeah, you just have to adjust to that, because we both have the same conditions. It's going better and better every match, but still, I need some more experience.

Q. You were saying that you need more experience, but you're obviously winning every set you played here the last couple years. Wondering how much you let yourself enjoy that, if it feels like it relaxes you, if it adds sort of expectation that you need to keep things perfect and that adds pressure? How do you balance your hot streak and your thinking?

IGA SWIATEK: It's kind of neutral, after winning obviously I thought it was going to be much, much harder, but I feel ready right now. This year, you know, I just started working the same as I did last year. I had the same attitude. I just wanted to go forward, not do the same mistakes as, you know, many players have had and have, you know, been sharing about after winning a Grand Slam. It's sometimes hard to come back and, you know, compete with expectations.

You know, we are different, and I also try to approach this problem, you know, differently. It's doing good. Hopefully I'm going to keep being consistent and that's the most important thing for me. I'm happy about that. It doesn't really matter for me if I'm winning here or winning WTA tournaments. I just want to play well and feel good on court and feel like I can, you know, manage and I can actually do progress. Yeah.

Q. Maria Sakkari next. What are your thoughts going into that match?

IGA SWIATEK: You know, I haven't played her, so it's hard to say. I played many practices with her, and she's really cool girl. You know, our teams are like we like each other.

It's never easy to play with one of the nicest girls on tour. But, yeah, I mean, tactically I'm going to for sure be prepared. Right now I'm not thinking about it, because still I have tomorrow doubles. So I just want to focus on getting my body back to being fresh.

Yeah, hopefully it's gonna be good. She's the kind of player who likes to play defense as well, as my opponent today. I'm just going to be ready. I'm going to be patient and hopefully it's gonna, I don't know, get results.

Q. In your last match against Kontaveit, you got a little bit of a test in that first set. Tonight Kostyuk tested you again. You're coming through. And the doubles match yesterday was epic. Do you feel you're battle-tested going into these latter rounds now and it hasn't been the steamrolling that you had last year, I feel like?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, that's true, but I like it because, you know, it keeps me like constantly, like, I guess constantly on my toes. It just keeps you, like, focused all the time, because you're not like, you don't have that flow, so it's kind of like bad, but still, you have to work all the time.

With that flow you sometimes can, like, seem surprised that, hey, something is not good, and then you're gonna panic. But right now I'm getting tested, as you said. Still I'm moving forward, so that's even better for me.

Q. Did you have any thought at all of pulling out of the doubles? Also, how does that affect you in singles either physically, mentally help your game, help you take a break? Looked like you were having a blast out there with Bethanie yesterday, even though it was incredibly long.

IGA SWIATEK: I will not pull out. Well, we're gonna see, because I don't know what's gonna happen, if I'm going to get injured or something. Obviously I'm a singles player, but doubles is also important for me. I'm not that kind of person that is pulling out if I don't have good reason for it.

I'm gonna play till the end and, you know, physically I feel so good. I feel that I have done so much work. My preseasons were really hard. I didn't waste like any day of practice, so I feel like my body can manage.

You know, with that feeling, I think I can play anything, especially after Rome and after playing two matches per day, it gave me, like, even more of that feeling.

So I'm ready for that. Also, I think it gives me more positives, because if I wouldn't play doubles I would have to play practice and it's harder to motivate when you're playing in practice.

So it gives me, you know, rhythm. I have something to focus on, and that's great. And also, it's just fun with Bethanie, you know.

Q. The match point was a pretty incredible point. You got excited at the end. Your thoughts on that and comment on that last point that you played.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, it was, like, really intense. You know, it was just one of the points when I couldn't, you know, finish her and she was fighting till the end.

I'm pretty happy that my lob was in, because I couldn't actually see. But it was risky, so, you know, I felt like kind of shaky, but I'm really happy that I made it, you know, in important points.

Yeah, I was pretty solid so I'm happy about that.

Q. Talking a little bit about the doubles, you played with Bethanie a bit before. Seems like a bit of a personality contrast because she's so extroverted. How did you get to know her? What's it like playing doubles with her?

IGA SWIATEK: It's actually good when extrovert meet an introvert, because it helps us. Yeah, she's, you know, the kind of person that can actually have great, like, contact and relationship with anybody, I guess, because she's like, yeah, like, really open to people. So it's something that I have to learn from her.

Yeah, on doubles it gives me a lot of, you know, fun and positive energy, because I think without her attitude, I don't think we would manage yesterday going from 1-5 in the third.

I would give more credit to her, yeah (smiling).