AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/I. Swiatek

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Iga, a tough match today. Just tell us your immediate thoughts after the match on how you played and also how your opponent played.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure Elena was the one that was more solid today, and I felt like it was more about who is going to put more pressure on the opponent, and she did that pretty well.

She served, you know, as she does usually. I wanted to kind of, you know, put her back, but on my service games I felt like I need to really -- I don't know -- just work really, really hard to get any point because my first serve wasn't working.

So, yeah, it was just tough. But for sure I need to work on my, I don't know, kind of mindset and fight a little bit more as I did last season.

So, for sure I'm going to take time right now to kind of reset.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You have tough luck today. Just picking up on the need to work on the mindset and the difference to last season, what do you put that down to? Is it too soon to say? Do you have an idea of what's different?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure past two weeks have been pretty hard for me. So I felt today that I don't have that much to, like, to take from myself to fight even more. So I really want to, I don't know, just -- I felt like I took a step back in terms of how I approach these tournaments, and I maybe wanted it a little bit too hard.

So I'm going to try to chill out a little bit more. That's all.

Q. Can I ask how the last couple of weeks have been hard?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win. So that's, I think, a base of what I should focus on in next couple of weeks.

Q. I noticed you got warned for a time violation, but just before the match started. I wondered, A, if you'd ever had that violation before? And B, whether it affected your mindset at all in the early stages of the match?

IGA SWIATEK: I think I got it once, but it was weird because actually the umpire was talking to me, and I didn't understand her twice because I didn't hear. You know, it's really loud before we start the match.

So it doesn't really matter, but for sure the fact that I had 40-15 in the first two games, and I couldn't close it was a little bit disturbing, but then I came back, and I was pretty happy with how disciplined I am.

Still, when the balls got a little bit old and I served with, you know, the sun in my eyes, Elena broke me, and that was kind of weird for me because usually when I come back from being down, I'm able to hold that momentum. Today I lost it.

So for sure, you know, she forced that as well, so congrats to her.

Q. Was it a big difference coming in here, and I guess also coming to the other Grand Slams, as being No. 1 in the world? That's something you didn't experience here last year. Do you experience coming into the competition differently?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't think that matters. I experience it differently because I felt differently. But, you know, I was No. 1 on Roland Garros, I was No. 1 on Wimbledon, and Open US. I was able to -- maybe not on Wimbledon, but I was able to play well and compete. I don't think that matters.

As you can see, there's no scheme there, so yeah.

Q. I was just thinking back to Wimbledon when your streak finally came to an end against Alize Cornet, you managed to get back up and win the US Open. What experience do you think you could take from that now being in a similar position? What worked for you last time?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't see that many similarities, honestly. Well, I don't know. I feel like it's pretty easy. I just wasted too much energy before the tournament and during the first days of the tournament to worry.

Yeah, and also, I don't know, it's just different period of time for me. Before US Open I was actually able to kind of let it go because I played pretty bad in Toronto and Cincinnati, and that helped me kind of to reset and just start the US Open without actually expecting much from myself.

Here was different, so I'm not connecting, like, the US Open with the streak at all. I'm not comparing this situation to my Wimbledon loss.

Q. I'm just curious, just what do you feel Elena did well today, and how difficult is it to play a Wimbledon champion in the fourth round? Because obviously her ranking is not where it normally would be.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure I feel like, yeah, her ranking should be better, but we all know what happened in Wimbledon.

And, yeah, I don't know. She was just better today, honestly, and she played really solid way. She I think tactically was kind of composed and just -- yeah. She's able to stay focused.

But, yeah, she was a better player today. I don't know, you know, what to tell you in terms of, like, analyzing the match. But on the other hand, if you want to win a tournament, you have to kind of be better than everybody.

So I don't care if it was a fourth round or whatever stage I was.

Q. Iga, just obviously quick off the court, but is this a result or a loss that you think will feel heavy, will linger, or does it feel, in context of losses you've taken in the past, that you'll be able to move past it relatively quickly?

IGA SWIATEK: I think I'll be able to move past it and also learn from it. You know, usually if my - I don't know - if my whole experience at the tournament was tougher and then it comes to an end, I'm able actually to kind of not focus about the fact that I lost the match, but about the overall, you know, performance and what's going on with me.

So I think this time, yeah, I think it's going to be motivating for me, and I'm pretty sure that I'm going to play next tournaments with something to focus on, something to work on, and I think I'm going to go forward.

So I think it's okay, you know. I'll get more time to reset. It doesn't matter for me if it was a semifinal or fourth round or a final, whatever. I just want to kind of move forward.