US OPEN

September 2, 2021

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/F. Ferro

3-6, 7-6, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Tell us your thoughts on today's match and your level of play after the first week of the Open.

IGA SWIATEK: That's the hardest question (smiling). Well, yeah, for sure it was a tough match. I think I didn't start it properly, because I felt like I couldn't properly feel my legs. But it's not the first time, so I'm trying to work on that.

In second set, I loosened up a little bit, kind of changed tactics. It was a similar match, in my mind, it was a similar match in Rome against Krejcikova. It was a similar situation. And it's always tough for me to use these kind of solutions when I'm just trying to push that ball and just give it back, because I usually want to, I don't know, lead or attack or just build the rally.

This time I felt like I'm pretty tight, so it's the only chance for me to win points.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Do you have a sense as to why you felt tight out there in the match? I know this morning there was a lot of kind of curve balls thrown at all of the players, getting to the site, dealing with everything.

IGA SWIATEK: It's a hard question, but, yeah, I just feel like, I feel the pressure, you know. So before, I had like fuel in my mind to actually overcome it and to work on it, but I feel like it's been happening a lot, so I'm having less and less of that fuel.

Usually on Grand Slams it was easier for me because I was just physically and tennis-wise, I was super prepared and that was helping me. Here I am also prepared, but I feel like the pressure is bigger because of the ranking and everything that I have been going through, you know.

Yeah, it's just hard to, like, describe it, but I think it's kind of usual of what players have after winning few tournaments for the first time.

Q. When you're at a tournament, what do you do to try to turn off your mind from the tennis side? I know obviously you have your books and your enormous book here.

IGA SWIATEK: I finish it already.

Q. You finished it?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah.

Q. How long did it take you to read it?

IGA SWIATEK: Three weeks? Yeah, something like that. I finish it yesterday, and I cried. Maybe that's the reason I was emotional in the match.

Q. What was the experience of reading "Gone With the Wind"? It's a big undertaking.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, I love it. This book has everything it needs. I don't know if, like, historically it's accurate, actually, because I haven't checked that, but like it was easy for me to just go to a different world and just enjoying, I don't know, the experience. Suddenly feeling like I'm in 19th Century.

Q. Was it English or Polish?

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, no, Polish, come on (smiling).

Q. Is that the longest book you have ever read?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I think it is. I also read Ken Follett. Well, it's separated, he has two series, two trilogies. If you would look at it as one book, it's longer totally, but this is the longest one, like one piece.

Q. Do you know what you're reading next?

IGA SWIATEK: No, I have to rest from this one. Like emotionally, I'm still in "Gone With the Wind," so, yeah.

Q. Do you think a book like that can affect you emotionally?

IGA SWIATEK: No, that was a joke. Well, I mean, once when I was a junior I had a situation when I couldn't stop reading the book, so I read until like 2 a.m., and I lost the match next day. So that was pretty stupid.

But I was 16, so, you know, other people go to parties and I just read a book until 2 a.m.

Q. What was the book when you were 16?

IGA SWIATEK: It was (indiscernible), one of hers.

Q. You mentioned the match in Rome. Do you feel right now like you felt after that one? Did you feel like you escaped that match or you were proud of yourself? Is that what you feel like now or is it different?

IGA SWIATEK: You know, I did feel happy in Rome after match against Pliskova. Right now I'm also not super excited because I know that I can play more solid from the beginning. And, like, the thing that I'm stressed out it's also stressing me out, so I don't know. Like you just have to learn how to live with it somehow, so I will try to do that.

But I'm just happy that I can also win matches like that, because before I just gave up kind of, and I'm pretty happy that in my mind, hey, it's not even worth being here because you can't show what you worked on.

I can still go and just, you know, change my game. Maybe it's because I don't have any other choice, but still, like I feel like many players wouldn't change a lot, and they would just lose -- I mean, it's pretty hard to do that, but I'm happy that I did it twice. Hopefully I'm not going to have a situation like that when I'm forced not to play my game but, you know, it's tennis so a lot can happen.

Q. Looking ahead, you play Kontaveit next. You mentioned it's pressure, ranking, practicing with top players, feeling like an underdog. Can you trick your mind into going into a match with a player who is playing fairly well right now?

IGA SWIATEK: I'm trying to trick my mind all the time, so, yeah, I mean, it's hard. That's why I'm like kind of struggling on court, but yeah, Anett is playing great. I know that. I don't have such a strong control over my mind to actually be sure that I'm going to be able to do that, but I will try, because I know that then I will just be loosened up and that's the most important thing for me right now.

Q. What was it like to play and to beat Hubi this summer?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure he wasn't giving 100% (smiling). Yeah, but it was exciting because it was in Poland. That was the only chance for us to play with Polish crowd. It was amazing. I mean, it gave me a lot of like energy, because, you know, doing the same thing every day and just practicing, it can be pretty exhausting for your mind, but then we went there and I was like I didn't know what to expect. I mean, I have never played exhibitions. I mean, I played once, but I wasn't like popular then, so it's totally different.

Yeah, after that whole match and the whole experience, it gave me like a lot. Because I kind of found what I liked. On exhibition, you don't actually have to win so you can just focus on trick shots. That's nicer.