QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 18, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/J. Pegula

6-3, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Iga. Another wonderful week in Doha. What's your magic secret?

IGA SWIATEK: Wow. I don't know honestly. I just feel really happy I could adjust quickly to the conditions. Even I was surprised that I was kind of using the wind the proper way.

I'm really happy that I could kind of find more balance comparing to how I felt at the beginning of the season. I think this tournament is going to give me a lot of confidence, but still, I want to take everything step by step. I'm just really happy that I could win this match today.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Congratulations. Jessica was just here saying she was really surprised at how accurate your forehand was despite the wind and the huge topspin. Were you also surprised, or how did you make it happen?

IGA SWIATEK: I would say yesterday it kind of hit me that even though it's windy I can use the wind properly and kind of use my intuition to sometimes, I don't know, imagine that I should play shorter, or on the other hand, play with more topspin so the wind is going to kind of take this ball even further, you know.

So today I just kind of continued that, but I didn't really want to overanalyze that, and I just kind of played how my intuition told me. It's nice, because usually I'm like basing everything on my tactics and on the technique that I'm working on. But here I felt like I could just reset that and play more freely without, you know, overthinking.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy with how my forehand worked. We have been kind of also focusing on it after Australia, so, yeah, it's great.

Q. Do you think you have played your best tennis of the season?

IGA SWIATEK: I don't know. Honestly, it's hard to compare, because in Australia we played on such fast surfaces that I knew that I'm gonna have a little bit less control there.

But for sure, yeah, this is the tournament where I felt the most comfortable and where I felt that I can easily kind of transfer all these things that I worked on during practices to matches.

So, yeah, maybe, but I had also some quality matches in Australia. It was just different conditions, so it's kind of hard to compare.

Q. Congratulations. You said at the beginning of the week that you had to lower your expectation, because you knew that you couldn't play perfectly every time. That's a strange way to prove it, because this week you were amazing.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, but it also kind of happens because I managed to lower the expectations, and I told myself before every match that the conditions are tricky, the tournament is so packed that I don't have to expect from myself that I'm gonna, you know, play magnificent tennis.

But then, I don't know, I felt better and better on court. I didn't really come back to these thoughts. I just, I don't know, really enjoyed playing. Every game I was really focused, and that's the thing I'm most happy about, because at the beginning of the season I felt like my mind was kind of flying away sometimes.

But here, the work we have put in with my coach on court and with Daria off the court, for sure, it just paid off, and I felt like everything is clicking.

Q. I was wondering what kind of music were you listening to when you went on court? Do you have any routine, exercises that you do to stay present, like meditation or something like that?

IGA SWIATEK: I do meditation. I don't think there is time on court to use it, so usually it's just breathing or I just focus on, like, two details technically that I want to do, and it keeps me busy from thinking about other stuff or thinking about, I don't know, technical things that can mess up with my head, you know. So I have and I'm using that.

And music also is helpful. I'm usually kind of like singing the same song in my head. Before the match I also use that to kind of get more energy.

I think today it was the same as usual, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin.

Q. You broke a record that belonged to Chris Evert, more than 40 years old, with your only five games you lost in this tournament. What does that mean to you?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, a lot, but on the other hand, when I was playing, I didn't really think about that (smiling). So it's not like I wanted to achieve that, but for sure it shows that I used my chances, all my chances that I had during this tournament to put pressure on my opponents and to break them.

So I'm just happy that I was so efficient. And, sorry, Chris. Yeah, well, it's also, you know, because basically I had a bye, and Belinda pulled out, so I had little bit easier situation to do it, but I'm still proud of it, so I'm happy.

Q. Just to get back about what you said about your focus flying away a little bit, were you surprised when it happened or did you feel it coming in the offseason? Is it something that's been happening regularly or was it more of a shock of why is it happening now?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, on one hand, I wasn't surprised, because I got this feeling a lot of times last season, but I was more surprised at the beginning of the season that I felt like a little bit more of anxiety and everything.

I guess during the preseason I had a lot of time to kind of look back and reflect on everything, so everything kind of hit me a little bit more.

But I really put a lot of work, and Daria helped me for sure to reset after Australia and to kind of remind myself that I don't need all that baggage, you know, and I can just focus on other stuff which are going to help me feel more free on court.

And, yeah, I wasn't surprised, but on the other hand, it's sometimes tricky because it's clicking in your head and you don't even know when it's gonna happen. Of course I wish it wouldn't happen on Australia Open, but I'm happy that I'm at that state right now, and hopefully I'm going to continue doing that. But you never know. So I'm going to keep my expectations low still (smiling).

Q. What do you think about the absence of the Tunisian player Ons Jabeur?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, what can I say? I mean, I don't know what's her situation. I think she had some injuries, so hopefully she's recovering.

Ons is the kind of player you always enjoy competing against, because like she has this energy and a lot of power and skill. I'm sure we're gonna have many matches this season, and I hope she's recovering well.