WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

August 18, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/M. Vondrousova

7-6, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Iga, very solid win today, especially getting through that first set. Talk us through your thoughts on the match.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I'm really happy with my performance. At the beginning, it wasn't easy to get used to her lefty spin, but I'm happy that I kind of played better and better throughout the whole match. At the end I was really solid.

THE MODERATOR: Who would like the first question?

Q. In the last couple matches you're trying to go more to the net. How do you feel at the net?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I go there if I have to (smiling).

But for sure I'm doing progress 'cause I can feel that I'm more and more confident. I mean, when I'm practicing, we're not, like, focusing the practices on my volley. But with coach Tomasz, I do overall, I don't know, every day few minutes more on the volley for like almost two years now.

It's not a huge difference day by day, but overall I think it gets great results. I feel like I'm doing better and better. It's not like I go on the net and I'm so stressed as I was two years ago. So I feel like I can do something, and that's (indiscernible), that's great. So it gives me hope.

Q. Despite difficulties today, it seemed like you were at your best in the important moments, like in the tiebreak. How did you feel...

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure when she was serving on 5-4, I felt like I have space to kind of push and to get back to the game and break back. I did that. I'm happy that I kind of, I don't know, made good decisions and chose the right solutions to win these points. I think she also kind of made some mistakes. I think the most important is to use your opportunity, and I'm happy that I did that.

In the tiebreaker, any point matter. I'm happy that I could kind of focus a little bit more. I already know what I have to play after these games that we played. I learned my lesson. I think I was more efficient.

Q. Adjusting to the lefty spin, could you talk about the adjustment? Is it footwork? Where the ball is kicking? What is it?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, just patient because basically our brain kind of thinks different way. Well, obviously I practice sometimes with lefties at home, with Beatriz sometimes as well, with Petra. We're trying to mix it up.

But usually obviously you're going to play with a right-handed player. You're playing automatically. You know it's going to go different way than it's actually going when you play against a lefty. You have to adjust and always remember to look out for that.

At the beginning, it may be a little bit tough, but throughout the whole match, if you're a good player, you're just going to feel it, you know?

Q. (Question about feeling tension on the court.)

IGA SWIATEK: No, no, I wouldn't say 'tension'. I respect Marija Cicak, she's a great umpire. But overall she's really strict with the rules and she's applying them always, looking at even like one second and everything.

Yeah, last two games, we played some longer rallies so I felt like I need time to just catch my breath, but Marketa didn't really let me do that. We have, what, 23 or 25 seconds?

Q. 25.

IGA SWIATEK: 25.

She was always ready when there was still 20 seconds. I'm using that break to get ready for the next point. Here I didn't really have time, so I wanted to kind of steal a few seconds for myself. I'll be honest with you. I was always ready when it was like 16 or 15 seconds, so I thought it's plenty enough time for Marketa.

The rule is actually that the time is for her. When she's ready, I have to be ready. Like, she was ready really fast, you know? I mean, I just told Marija Cicak that I'm human, I need to breathe, you know (smiling).

But I'm okay. I mean, I can still play well. Physically I'm ready. It's just there's the point that we have 20 seconds. I totally get the rule and I'm not going to, like, push because that's the rule and we have to adjust to it.

Q. Yesterday you were talking about the criticism your team got. There was criticism regarding the Netflix episode. Do you think there is a connection from that?

IGA SWIATEK: There were some things that I thought they edited it, and people kind of misunderstood sometimes few situations in the episode. Well, we already kind of spoke to Netflix about these things. I wish it could be done a little bit differently. When we watched before the premier, we couldn't have any influence on how they edited some stuff.

Yeah, there was a lot of hate after the episode came out. That's another thing that kind of convinced me that I don't need that right now at this stage of my career. So, yeah, I wish Netflix could do it a little bit differently, some things.

I wish people wouldn't judge so much 'cause I use sarcasm sometimes. For example, yesterday as well with the outfit change, it wasn't even me who bring that up because the journalist on court actually ask me.

But, yeah, I realize that I shouldn't use sarcasm in the public arena because people sometimes are not understanding, and they are just hating.

It is a little bit connected, but overall there is too much hate. I think every player would say it.

Q. Specifically it was the scene when you were getting your haircut?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I was sarcastic and I said I'm not going to, like, adjust my haircut to tennis because I tend to, early years, few years back, cut my hair really short. When I was playing, it was falling here, and I couldn't really do anything about it. My hair is really chaotic. It needs to be perfect, because if not, I can't really control it.

Daria reminded me about that. She got a lot of hate that she's like, I don't know, has influence on my haircut. That's not true because she's just a person who's going to kind of remind me of those stuff.

I know the story because I cut my hair in a wrong way couple of times, and it was a mess. Here sometimes also it's like falling. I'm sure you guys also don't like that. I can do it too short, but on the other hand I have so much hair that I want to do it short because it's heavy and it's too hot. People just criticized and they didn't understand my sarcasm, so that's a shame.

Actually I'm an athlete and I am kind of going to adjust my hair to tennis, so... That's the reality. But, yeah, I wanted to be a little bit sarcastic and just show that our job is kind of like 24/7. Everything we eat, everything we do have later influence on how we perform.

Yeah, so they edited it that way, that it just looks like Daria is kind of having influence on my haircut, which is not true. So yeah...

Well, it's like swimmers, they shave their legs. There are, like, plenty of things in sports that you have to kind of take care of. People are not talking about that. I used sarcasm, and maybe that wasn't a good idea.

But, yeah, overall people are really judging. Sorry about talking. I don't think we should talk about hair that much, but (smiling).

Q. There's been a lot of retirements in this tournament. You said earlier that you've been prioritizing rest. Does this year feel any different in terms of the load or...

IGA SWIATEK: I think it's harder and harder. Tournaments, if they are longer, we have less time in between tournaments to recover. I think it's going to be pretty extreme next year if all the 1000 tournaments are going to be like almost two weeks. So I don't think it's a coincidence. I think it's a sign for WTA and ATP to kind of take it easy on us. On the other side there's business that they need to take care of.

Our season is actually going to get longer. I guess we are the ones that should be kind of responsible and know when to take a break and not really push because it's a race and it's a pretty long one. We have to be smart and your team has to be smart to make the right decisions.

I'm not surprised because, yeah, this swing is hard, especially with the delays and the weather that messed up the schedule in Montreal. It's hard to recover from playing two matches a day. I know that after Warsaw. It was a 250, so the pressure was little bit different than a 1000.

Yeah, I understand that. I don't think it's a coincidence.

Q. You mentioned the adjustment to the lefty serve. At the beginning you struggled with the return. Did you get something from your coach?

IGA SWIATEK: Not really because still I knew what to do. It was hard just at the beginning to actually make it work. So, yeah, he told me one thing. But from the beginning I knew I need to do it. You just need to get the right feeling. At the beginning I make, yeah, too many mistakes on the return.

Q. Looking ahead to the next match, potentially Coco or Paolini.

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, my God, wow, I remember that moment (laughter).

Q. You're 2-0 now.

IGA SWIATEK: Wow (smiling). That's the biggest (indiscernible) of the tournament.

Q. Can you talk about both of those matchups.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think I played once maybe against Jasmine. It was a long time ago probably. She's a fighter. She will not give you any points for free. She can run a lot. I think she's playing good, more topspin. Technically I have to for sure get ready.

Coco, obviously we played plenty of times. I kind of know her game. But you never know what she's going to come up with. I'll be ready and kind of focus on myself.

I think after these couple of matches, I already know how to play in these conditions, so I'll just use that experience and go for it.