ROLAND GARROS

June 3, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/W. Xinyu

6-0, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Iga, very dominant performance today. What were you most happy with out there?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure, you know, the way I kept my focus throughout the whole match. You know, just the fact that I know I keep feeling better and better every day and that's kind of what I wanted to achieve in this tournament. I'm glad that I kind of feel the rhythm a little bit better on every match.

I'm just happy that I was disciplined till the end.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just in terms of your progress through the tournament level-wise from the first match that you said you're happy with the way you performed, what were the biggest kind of jumps from match 1 to match 3?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it was just easier for me to implement all that stuff that I'm talking about with my coach and to tactically play a little bit better.

First two matches I felt like I kind of need to play against the conditions, but today I was able to, like, control the ball a little bit more. So it was easier for me to like adapt some more complicated -- maybe not complicated, but I wasn't thinking about the wind. I was more thinking about where to play and how to play because it was just easier to control the ball after few hours on Philippe-Chatrier.

Q. I noticed you have had a safe passage through in terms of the set scores. They have been one-sided, particularly in four of them. That is something that happens quite a lot this year. You have had a lot of one-sided sets. Have you ever had a feeling in a tournament that maybe it has hurt your progress later if it's very one-sided in the early rounds? Is it sometimes a problem at all?

IGA SWIATEK: If it's what, sorry?

Q. If you have an easy match on the score and you're winning 6-Love or 6-1, do you find that that can ever affect you negatively in the later rounds when you play better players?

IGA SWIATEK: No. But on the other hand I always try to kind of be careful, because you don't want to get lazy after winning these matches. It's never easy to win these matches. But on the other hand, sometimes all your head can remember is the score, and I always want to kind of be ready for, you know, every situation.

So I don't feel like it's a problem for me, because as you said, I had many matches like that. But I just try to kind of take as much positive things like confidence and just, you know, feeling that I can play my tennis. But kind of also reset from all the other stuff and the expectations and just, you know, go another match like it's a new one.

Q. Another convincing win.

IGA SWIATEK: Thank you.

Q. When you win a set or a match 6-Love, 6-Love, everyone on social media goes crazy. Everyone says the Iga Bagel Factory is open for business again and everyone gets really excited. Can you tell us what does it take to win a match 6-Love, 6-Love? Why do you think you can do it more than a lot of the other players? Finally, if you did run your own bagel factory, who are some of the players on tour that you could work with to make it a really successful factory?

IGA SWIATEK: If you guys could help me just asking one question, that would be easier.

Look, like, I don't want to really talk about that, because I really get why people do that, because it's fun and tennis is entertainment and everything. But like from players' point of view, I want to kind of be respectful to my opponents and, you know, you don't see the stuff that is behind the scenes. Sometimes it's not easy to play such matches and sometimes it's not easy also for the opponents.

I don't want to talk about the bakery. Twitter can talk about it but I'm just going to be focused on tennis. And, yeah, with respect to my opponents, I really don't want to get into that.

Q. First of all, belated birthday wish to you.

IGA SWIATEK: Thank you.

Q. Actually, my question relates to that. If I recall correctly, on court you were asked about your birthday, and you said one of the things you did, of course, during your birthday was to reflect on the past year, which had great successes, and other times not the best. But can you share some of your reflections about what you said to yourself or thought to yourself about your past year?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure it was, you know, not an easy year. A lot of like new situations and a lot of ups and downs. I don't know, like every year has been so intense. This one as well.

Every year, you know, I face different challenges, so I kind of just thought about these challenges and tough moments I had and also how I overcame them. All the moments where I felt really, you know, satisfied with my tennis.

But like overall, yeah, I just thought about my life, so it's kind of hard to describe it right now.

Q. Can you share some of the tough moments that you had?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't know. I thought a lot about US Open and the tournaments before US Open, because that was kind of breakthrough for me, because I felt like I can really win tournaments even though I'm not feeling 100% comfortable at the beginning. I just learned a lot during these like two months during the US Open swing.

So I thought about that. About Australia a little bit. Yeah. I don't know. Everything (smiling).

Q. We don't know who you'll play next, but just on the topic of Bianca Andreescu...

IGA SWIATEK: What? Who is she playing against?

Q. Tsurenko. But I'm just asking you specifically a question about Bianca first, if that's okay.

IGA SWIATEK: I didn't know the...

Q. Sorry.

IGA SWIATEK: No, it's fine. I just didn't know so I want to prepare your question.

Q. Just on Bianca, I know obviously you're a big champion of mental health and obviously Bianca talks about it as well and she did this whole series on it. Curious what you kind of make about how she's approached that side of her game? Don't know how well you know her or not, and then separately what you remember about your Rome match against her last year?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, we didn't talk a lot honestly about, I don't know what she's doing because -- well, I remember I approached her I think in Toronto last year, and I just said that she's doing great job, kind of making it, I don't know, more, just using her voice to make it more available to people and also like sharing her experiences so the others can feel like they are not alone or something like that.

I remember I just approached her but we didn't like discuss it because I know that, I don't know, everybody has their own path. I don't know. I didn't see a point of that because I also have kind of my idea, she has her ideas, and we are doing that and we are kind of trying to make people acknowledge that like this is like real stuff that everybody should take care of.

I think, yeah, I have huge respect for her, because she's been through a lot, and for sure it wasn't easy for her. But, you know, she came back from that break that she had, and, yeah, as I said, I just really respect that.

Tennis-wise, I don't remember Rome last year. Wow. I had many matches since then so I don't remember. I'm not good at that, honestly. That's why I have team around me to kind of remind me.

But, well, obviously she's a really solid player, and she can play both, you know, from defense and a little bit higher, but also she uses opportunities to attack and, I don't know... Sorry. I don't think I have anything smart to say, so...

Q. I'm just remembering something you said at the Australian Open earlier this year about how there was a period of time before that where you felt like you started playing not to lose rather than playing to win. I just wondered with the benefit of a bit more time and space from that if you can reflect on sort of how you fell into that and also how you got yourself out of it again.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it's kind of easy to fall into that, honestly, because I think, you know, preseason had something to do with that and me, like, kind of -- because when I was during the season I was in that rhythm. You know, I didn't really think about what other people said. It was easy for me to manage my own expectations, as well. So I felt like I just continued that, you know.

But when the season ended, I was, like, Okay, so now I have time to kind of see and reflect on what happened, and also, like, check, I don't know, more the Internet. Also like I had more face-to-face contact with people that were actually sometimes approaching me and telling me stuff, and I just felt like struck with all the things that happened during my last season.

So when I came to Australia, it was pretty hard to kind of cut it off completely, suddenly. Next time I'm gonna think about, you know, my preseasons if I should also be in that season routine or kind of let my mind wander a little bit, because you can't be in that rhythm constantly, but on the other hand, yeah, it didn't help for Australia, for sure.

I felt like, yeah, everybody kind of were watching because that was the first season that I started as World No. 1, and last year I played in semifinals, so I felt like I can do even more, you know, because I just progressed. I felt like I can play better.

So all these thoughts, you know, came together, and it wasn't easy. So, yeah, it happens, you know. That's why it's so hard to sometimes handle pressure and to be on top for longer time.

Also, I'm aware that it's not gonna be constant that I'm gonna not have these thoughts or not feel the expectations. I'm gonna have ups and downs, and you kind of have to accept that, you know. But I'm working really hard to try to cut off all that stuff and just focus on tennis and focus on, you know, enjoying playing.