ROLAND GARROS

June 8, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/B. Haddad Maia

6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Iga, congratulations. Back into the Roland Garros final for the third time. Can you just give us your thoughts on your performance today.

IGA SWIATEK: I'm just pretty happy to be in the final again. It was a tough match, and especially second set, like, every point counted. It was stressful in some moments, so I'm happy that I was really solid and I was able to close it in the tiebreaker.

It wasn't easy, and Beatriz really played well. I'm just happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. You showed some rare signs of frustration on court today. What was your frustration about? Something specific or just the general turn that the match was taking after...

IGA SWIATEK: What?

Q. You showed some signs of frustration on court.

IGA SWIATEK: What kind of? Can you describe?

Q. Sort of yawning and looking...

IGA SWIATEK: Is it different than most of my matches?

Q. I thought it was, yeah.

IGA SWIATEK: Okay, for me it was pretty much the same. Obviously like it's not easy to play such a tight match. I can't really comment, because I felt, you know, the same as usual. I actually felt kind of more focused because I know that the crowd was loud and I tried to just kind of keep my focus inside. But, yeah.

Q. For the first time you played against her, she beat you the first time. So it was tough match today. What makes her difficult to play for you?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure, you know, she's really using the fact that she's a lefty. She's really using her spin on the serve. It's just tactically, you know, a little bit different. You always have to kind of address and switch most of the things that you do on court because she's a lefty.

But I don't know. Like, I just knew that I can really use my power on clay and even make it physical if I need to.

So I had a lot of confidence in myself today, so that's all.

Q. You haven't played Karolina I think since 2019. Have you watched her much since then? What is it like to play a player like that versus players like Aryna and Rybakina, who you've been playing a lot on these big stages?

IGA SWIATEK: I still feel like I know Karolina's game anyway because I played many practices with her since 2019, and I also watch her actually more than most of the players. Just a coincidence, but it happened.

And I really like her game, honestly. I really respect her, and she's I feel like a player who can do anything, you know. She has great touch. She can also speed up the game.

She plays with that kind of, I don't know, freedom in her movements. And she has a great technique. So I watched her matches and I feel like I know her game pretty well.

But obviously on matches, it's a little bit different and I'll be ready no matter what.

Q. I was curious about how you managed your time before your own semifinal because the previous match was very long, was a big upset, had an incredible scenario at the end. Do you authorize yourself to look at it, enjoy it, or do you have to separate completely your focus about what's happening on the court?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think just imagining how they felt in terms of, you know, all these ups and downs they had in that match, and it wasn't, I would say, enjoyable. It was more like I could kind of feel what they were feeling, you know. I tried to just be focused on myself, but obviously I had to look at the score to know where to warm up.

Yeah, you know, it's always more smooth and more comfortable when the match before you is going quicker and kind of one way so you know what's gonna happen.

But they are both fighters, so they fought till the end, and that's why the score was, you know, sometimes one way and then it was even. I wasn't like watching to see a match. I was just watching to know the score.

Q. Obviously your third final in four years. I know you love this tournament and love the clay, we know your abilities here. But I'm curious for you, growing up watching Rafa win all those titles here, given how comfortable you are here, did you ever tell yourself or imagine or do you motivate yourself by saying, I too want to have an Iga Dynasty here? Do you want to keep coming here every year and doing this?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I wouldn't say that kind of motivation, it's my style, you know. I'm more of a person who just try to do her best every day and hope for the best.

But, no, like Rafa, what he did and what he's still doing, it's pretty amazing. I never kind of knew that it's gonna be possible for me. So it was totally out of my reach, if I can say that. And, you know, still he played so well so many years, I don't know if it's going to be possible for me.

But I just try to compete, you know, keep it cool year by year and just do everything step by step. So I wasn't really thinking that.

Q. I think in Doha you said that after the Australian Open this year you tried to figure out what went wrong in the Australia season. I think you said that you put too much pressure on yourself, you expect yourself to win like every matches, so you tried to change your kind of mindset. Then now you made this huge, not dominating, but you didn't lose a set. So any differences in terms of like a mindset or preparation of mentality?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I wouldn't say in Australia I was in a good place, so since then I made progress and I kind of switched my mindset to kind of be more efficient and calm and not overanalyze everything, you know, and not overanalyze my situation.

I would say I'm just in a different place, so it's pretty hard for me to compare. I'm pretty happy that I don't have to, like, deal with so much stuff that I dealt with in Australia.

Obviously it's still, you know, a lot of pressure and it's not easy, but also on clay I feel like I have, you know, more weapons than faster hard court. I'm trying to use that confidence and that feeling of being, you know, comfortable on that surface to just kind of focus on that a little bit more and play better because of that.

Q. Iga, you're playing at a really high level right now. How much hard work does it take to make the tennis you're playing look so easy?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, all these years, you know, so a lot of hard work. Besides, you know, only like physical hard work, also like I would say sometimes good decisions and being able to kind of stay in there in terms of focus and discipline. Yeah.

Q. Going back to that 2019 match in Prague, you were both ranked around 100. You were a qualifier, she was a wildcard.

IGA SWIATEK: Funny.

Q. Now this is the Roland Garros final. Do you remember much about that match that day, how that match went the way it did?

IGA SWIATEK: I remember a lot actually, because it was one of my first WTA tournaments, and I had to play last match of qualification and my first round against Karolina the same day, because it was raining days before.

It was my first tournament or second tournament with Daria. So it was like much, much different. You know, I felt like a rookie and I didn't know if I should be in that place or not, you know.

But I remember she played really well. It was a three-setter, pretty tight. Yeah, I remember a lot, actually. That's pretty funny.

And I remember Daria did that weird coaching, because coaching was allowed for anybody who like enters the court, and I wasn't with my coach on this tournament. So she did that weird coaching where I said a lot of stuff and didn't really make sense but she was just calming me down. Right now I look at it and it's really funny.

But back then I was really stressed, and, like, exhausted from this match that I had to play earlier in the day. So, yeah, whew. I'm happy that I'm better a little bit now, yeah (smiling).

Q. You mentioned that Karolina is someone you enjoy watching and that you like her game. Does it make a difference to you when you're playing or preparing for a match mentally if you're facing someone you admire rather than just any other player?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't like having all these kind of negative emotions when I enter a match against somebody I may not like as much as other players.

So I would say it's a little bit easier, because I don't like this negative motivation, you know. I just like to kind of be open to a challenge and that's the way I feel before a match with Karolina.

Q. I'm guessing that you consider yourself a much better player than you were before your first Grand Slam final when you played here three years ago. First of all, is that right? And if so, what would you say is the greatest area of improvement you see in yourself from that version to now?

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, my God. Yes, for sure I feel like I'm a better player. Improvement I feel like is everywhere, so I can't really say. Everywhere, like tennis-wise, mentally, tactically, physically, just having the experience, everything. So, yeah, my whole life basically (smiling).