ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL

January 6, 2022

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/L. Fernandez

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Talk us through what you thought you did really well today.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think from the beginning of the match I had really control over it, and that was my goal. I wanted to be aggressive and to be proactive. From the beginning I felt like I can dominate. That was great.

The good thing was that she couldn't actually play her game at the beginning, so I made her lose a little bit of confidence. Yeah, I guess it worked out pretty well. We had good tactics, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said you wanted to play the match chilled out and relaxed. Are you pretty confident that's what you accomplished today?

IGA SWIATEK: Yes, for sure. I mean, I was stressed like before the match and yesterday because I know that she's a great player, and also she's younger. That's pretty new for me because I think I didn't have, like, any chance to play against younger players basically.

I didn't want to feel like I have to win, you know? It doesn't really matter what's her age, she's a great player. She was in the final of the US Open. I knew it's going to be a tough match.

Yeah, I mean, when I stepped out on court today, I could feel that I'm playing really well and I can feel the ball right. That was good information for me. After that it was easier for me to relax and just play my game.

Q. The weather in Adelaide has been up and down. Were conditions...

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry.

Physically it's easier to play in that kind of conditions for me because I'm used to a little bit lower temperatures. But it was tricky because when we came here I did everything to adjust to the hot weather. The balls were flying differently than they are right now. Right now I could go back little bit to what I know. So that was great.

It doesn't really matter for me the temperature. I would say wind is more tricky. But first round was also some kind of test for me and I could get used to that. Today was easier for me to adjust to the wind. Also when we were switching sides, I felt like I could use the wind to play better.

Q. Looking ahead, you could play Vika. One of those matchups you have tweeted about in terms of the respect you earned from her at the US Open. Talk about the opportunity if you play her in the next round.

IGA SWIATEK: You know, I love playing against such an experienced players because it's always a challenge. Like it's kind of different. I have a different mindset when I play against players like that because I watched them when I was younger. It shows me my progress, but also I have huge amount of respect for them.

Well, I know what mistakes I've made on US Open, so for sure if I'm going to have a chance to play against Vika, I'm not going to repeat them and we're going to change that. I couldn't see them on court back then, but they were pretty obvious when I was analyzing the match. This time I'm just going to do things differently.

If I'm going to be loosened up, if I'm going to feel the ball right, I think it's going to be a great match.

Q. You're 14-0 in sets at Adelaide. Scores are pretty lopsided. Does there come a point where that begins to actually be not meaningful but in the back of your head?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure it gives me a lot in terms of going into the season. I remember that this is probably like the first first tournament of the season when I'm that chilled out and I can actually control a lot because before I felt like I wasn't pretty confident like previous years or I was coming back from an injury. This time I feel more stable.

I mean, last year in my head it's not the same tournament because it was after Australian Open, the conditions were different, and also the draw is completely different. I feel like there are more high-quality players right now in second round or in third round. It seems like a different tournament.

I'm not really focusing on what happened, but I'm just looking forward.