INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 14, 2022

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/A. Sabalenka

6-2, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Iga, second final in Rome in two straight years. How happy are you?

IGA SWIATEK: Very. You know, I'm really happy for the whole process that we had this week because I had to dig through some, you know, worse moments. I feel like I'm getting better and better.

Today I felt like I really understood the clay, so it's pretty nice.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. What is the most enjoyable thing about what's happening right now? Like, what's the fun part, the fun aspect of this? Or is it not?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, usually it is fun. But on these tournaments where we play day after day, we don't really get time to, like, celebrate. Right after we finish the previous match, we have to think about the next one. It's pretty tough.

But I know that after I'm going to be really proud of myself. For sure I'm going to have time to think about what I did.

But, yeah, I mean, I'm just constantly surprising myself that I can do better and better. I feel like I actually can believe now that the sky's the limit. That's the fun part, for sure.

Q. You say after the match that you have a lot of ups and downs. Do you feel totally in control today? Do you feel that nothing can happen to you on this court?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure today I felt little bit differently because I think my level of focus was on a constant level throughout the whole match. Maybe in second set I got more shaky at the end.

I'm pretty happy that, yeah, I learned the lessons on previous matches. On previous matches I felt like I'm kind of letting my opponents come back to the match a little bit. This time I wanted to put pressure on my opponent from the beginning till the end.

I think Aryna was under pressure, so it really helped me and that was my tactics. I'm happy that I fully made it.

Q. You've had so many wins obviously in a row, but so many sets that have been very dominant, 6-Love or 6-1. How much of that has been also a point of pride that you are able to stay motivated, keep your focus within matches, to get the score as dominant as you can?

IGA SWIATEK: I just don't look at the score honestly. If I break once, I don't feel like I should, I don't know, stop, just continue, hold my serve.

Also I feel really good on my receive games. I feel as confident as on my serve games. So basically this is giving me an extra kick to just break even more games.

Q. In women's tennis, there are a lot of new winners in the slams, majors, especially Roland Garros. Last eight years all different winners. What do you think about this? In your opinion, when you think to Paris, to your possible opponents, do you imagine it will be a young one or will be someone you already know, one that is well-known in the top of players?

IGA SWIATEK: You mean who I'm going to have rivalry with?

Q. If you think about Roland Garros, will it be against a new one or someone that is very well-known, in the top 10?

IGA SWIATEK: It's hard to say because if I'm going to play well, if I'm going to play till the end, I'm going to play against seven players. For sure, every one is going to be against some different kind of opponent. It's hard to say who is going to be there at the end.

I don't know what's the reason why we had so many changes, lack of consistency in WTA Tour. But maybe in past few years COVID had something to do with it. Staying in bubbles, that was pretty hard.

Q. (Off microphone.)

IGA SWIATEK: US Open, as well.

I don't know honestly. It's pretty hard. I don't know the way it happened and why all these different girls are winning these tournaments. Maybe on clay it's harder to be dominant because it's slower.

I don't know honestly. Right now I'm just finding reasons, but not sure.

Q. You won 27 matches in a row now. There are few players who could do better than this. Do you read something about the story of the past winning streaks?

IGA SWIATEK: I was reading after Sunshine Doubles. For sure I'm going to read now a little bit more, after the tournament. As I said, we have matches every day, so I don't really find time for that.

Also it's not the thing that I want to be focused on when I'm playing. So basically I'm trying to avoid all that fuss and just play well right now.

For sure I'm going to have time to do that after.

Q. I have a lot of Polish journalists who call me and ask you about you, what we think in Italy about you. May I say only one thing. About your hat, people likes to watch you and see your smiling, your eyes, things like that. On TV you're always hiding yourself. They would like to see you more. I don't know if it's important. Maybe it's not. Would be interesting for your image that it's good that everyone sees you laughing, smiling.

IGA SWIATEK: I think my image is good anyway, so I don't think the hat has some influence on it.

Honestly I played with a hat for many, many years. Right now I feel weird on court when I don't have a hat on. It's like I wouldn't have a T-shirt. For me it's kind of obvious that I'm going to play in a hat.

I don't think it's going to change. Maybe it would change if it would be something bad in terms of like being comfortable or tennis-wise.

Yeah, I don't have to worry about my hair flying around. It's better for me to play in a hat.

Q. If Ons wins, how do you think your games will match up in the final?

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry, I didn't hear.

Q. You might play Ons Jabeur. How do you think your games will match up?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, I haven't watched her game on clay court. For sure I watched many matches last season how she played on hard court at the end of the year for sure when she was trying to get points for the Finals. But I'm not sure how she plays on clay.

For me it's like the same situation every day because we have only few tournaments on clay and it's impossible to know everybody's game.

Ons is pretty tricky player with all the slices and dropshots, changing of rhythm. I already played against her few times. It was always hard.

Well, I think it's going to be a nice final and I think she deserves to be there. But she still has to win, so right now I'm not even thinking about that.

Q. You have faced quite a few powerful players in your run this year. How does it feel to compare Sabalenka's power, who you've beaten in straight sets three times, or someone like Ostapenko or Collins? How does their power compare?

IGA SWIATEK: It is sometimes hard. Especially for me, you can see from my results that playing against Ostapenko is not easy. Against other players tactically I'm really well-prepared. And also I'm practicing usually with the guys, so it doesn't bother me if someone plays really fast. It's just I feel like I can adjust properly to these kind of game style as to any other. Actually last year I was kind of learning how to play against heavy hitters on fast surfaces.

But here on clay, I don't think it really matters.