QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 15, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/D. Collins

6-0, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: That was a very impressive performance today. How did you feel on court?

IGA SWIATEK: Pretty confident. I'm happy that I was kind of composed and from the beginning till the end pretty focused and disciplined with tactics.

So I didn't really let Danielle get into the rhythm. I wanted to, yeah, be aggressive. I'm pretty happy that I did that well.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Of course we, tennis media, we talk about how good you are returner and how good you can move around. But maybe sometimes don't you feel like your serve is underestimated? Because you are serving really good. So can you talk about your serve?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, hmm, that's a good question. I wouldn't say it's underestimated. It's more like I know that I'm not the kind of player who is just going to serve and win points from it, like I'm not Rybakina or Sabalenka.

I'm more just kind of player who's gonna put the ball in and win a point by rally. But for sure I'm working on my serve, and I'm trying to get it better and better.

Today was a match where I felt pretty confident on my serve. Basically the time after Australia we really focused on getting more rhythm on the first serve, and I guess it worked. But I will see what future is gonna bring. We'll see, yeah.

But maybe after a couple of matches with a serve like that, I don't know, you, as media, will also kind of gain more confidence in my serve.

Q. I just wanted to ask about the conditions today. Can you describe them in your match? Also, earlier in the day, I'm sure you would have practiced or hit a few balls. How different was that compared to when you took the court today?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure the conditions changed. Yesterday it got kind of windy. I really needed to adjust to that. But honestly, on the stadium is much better than on outside courts. So I felt like it's not really bothering me. I can also use the wind, you know, to my advantage.

But the conditions here, you know, it's pretty humid, more humid than in other places we play usually. And the surface is for sure, this is like the first tournament in a season that it has slower surface. So I feel like I can, you know, run a little bit more. I don't know. The rhythm of the match seems like more comparable to, like, indoor European tournaments or clay court.

So, yeah, so I feel pretty comfortable here. I like the conditions.

Q. If we see the calendar, this week is only one WTA tournament. If we compare with the guys, they have other 250s. What do you think about this? Do you think there's a lack of tournaments for women in tennis?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure I don't know what caused this situation that we only have one tournament right now, but for sure, for the players that, for example, played quallies or didn't even get into quallies, it's a pretty unlucky situation.

It would be nice if they had also more variety. I'm in that kind of position I'm going to get into every tournament, but not everybody has that privilege.

I feel like they are the people that are kind of hurt the most, because they could also, you know, play this week, earn money, but they can't really do that.

So you see how the qualifying was packed (smiling) and even how our first or second rounds looked like. All these matches are really, you know, hard. It's fine, but on the other hand, yeah, it shows that we could get more variety and have another tournament in different city.

Q. Last year here began your streak of 37 victories, if I remember correctly. If you can tell us how does it change, the fact that you came here as No. 1 after Australia, because last year you weren't in the top three, if I remember correctly.

IGA SWIATEK: What do you want me to...like what changed?

Q. In your perspective and also in your approach to this tournament, knowing that you won it already and it started your streak here.

IGA SWIATEK: Nothing really changed, because this is a totally different chapter, totally different tournament. I know that any of us can win it. It's not like -- like, it was last year, so really long time passed since that, and it's not like it happened last week. It was literally last year.

I want to use the experience that I had last year, but I'm not really, you know, taking anything for granted or, yeah, I just know that I feel comfortable here with the conditions.

But, yeah, you know, it's a tennis match and anything can happen. If one of us has, I don't know, better feeling, that they can win the match, and it doesn't really matter what happened last year, so, yeah (smiling).

Q. I want to ask you about your serve a little bit more, because you said that you are focusing on practicing on the serve after Australia. I know you cannot reveal everything, but what did you change? Like the form of serve or a placement or how to put spin on it?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it's not like I changed a lot. It's more like we took more time to just, you know, peacefully work on it. Because sometimes on tournaments when we just play one hour of practice and then next day we have a match, there is no time to work on technical stuff.

We just have to kind of get the feeling and rest for next match. So when I was in Warsaw, for sure, I don't know, we just focused on it. I didn't change a lot, but I had time to take care of some stuff that I wouldn't do on tour.

Yeah, there is like a lot of, like, small technical things, but overall I feel like if my rhythm on the serve is going to be fine, I'm going to serve well.

So on one hand I can really focus on the details, but when I'm on tournament, I already want to just think overall about the serve and where I want to place it. But at home there is more time to not think about the placement but what's happening, you know, when I do the moves.

Q. You spoke a lot about consistency after you won your first French Open. It seems like that has changed now at least in the top of the women's game. You're there, and then Rybakina and now Sabalenka has had a good run. Do you think it's different now than maybe 12 or maybe 18 months ago?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it's a good question. I don't know. I don't really know how to kind of, how to judge that, because on the other hand there were also really consistent players like three, four years ago, like Naomi or Bianca Andreescu.

But we will see what's gonna happen in the future. For sure my goal is to be consistent, and it was since the beginning. I wish I could kind of -- like from 2021 I just wanted to be consistent but on a higher level, like be in semifinals, finals. For sure last season kind of showed that I can do that. But right now I want to kind of come back to the balance and also know that I'm not gonna win every tournament.

But other players, I don't know, I don't know if something change or not. Maybe it's a coincidence. Maybe we have players that are kind of ambitious and more stable, but it's really hard for me to judge, because I don't know what's going on there.