US OPEN

September 4, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

J. OSTAPENKO/I. Swiatek

3-6, 6-3, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. When you talk to your team and they remind you how this doesn't define you, is that the message they reinforced to you? Her first strike and her timing seems so insane, talk about dealing with that.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure I think, yeah, she plays well against me. I mean, I don't have any comparison because she always did that.

But I'm just surprised that my level changed so drastically because usually when I play bad, I play bad at the beginning, then I kind of catch up or just problem solve. This time it was totally the opposite.

I don't really know what happened with my game. I felt no control suddenly. I just have to watch and see 'cause, yeah, I didn't really know why I started making so many mistakes.

Q. In terms of now that the slam season is over, can you reflect a little bit on how you feel your slam season went, then just a few words about the No. 1 ranking?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure I'm not happy with my performances on hard courts in terms of Grand Slams this year. I think overall with my history this season, I've done a pretty good job just staying on a constant level, maybe accepting some matches that I shouldn't (expletive) up.

But, yeah, I mean, I'm happy that I'm going to have some time now to practice because I really, really need that and I really miss that.

Because of my injury after Indian Wells, before Stuttgart, I basically had two weeks of practicing besides one week on grass. There's no time to do that when you want to play all these tournaments, and you miss Miami, and you kind of need to play all the other ones.

I'm just happy that I'll have time to just reset and go home for a while and just spend time a little bit more differently than on tour.

Q. You were said you weren't sure why you're making so many errors. How difficult is it to stop and think and problem solve when the ball is coming?

IGA SWIATEK: Usually it's kind of easy because, I mean, it's never easy, but usually I know what to do. Usually I can feel what I'm doing wrong.

This time, I don't know, like my mistakes were so huge, and I had no idea why suddenly I couldn't return. I'm a good returner. I was focusing on the same things as in the first set, and the same things overall, when my game is working.

I don't know. I don't know. I need to watch. Maybe this will give me some answers. Overall it's just that it doesn't happen often for me when I start playing so badly. It's a positive thing overall, but I'm just surprised a little bit. I have to analyze.

Q. You've held No. 1 for a long time. What has that meant to you and what are your thoughts about what you would need to do to get back there?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it meant a lot, obviously. It was great. On the other hand this last part, it was pretty exhausting. I still need to do all this stuff that my team and all these great players like Roger or Novak or Rafa are telling about: you just have to focus on the tournaments, not the rankings.

But for me, I don't know, usually I'm not looking at numbers, but overall I love them. I would love to, like, extend this record a little bit longer. This is something that when I was younger, I actually kind of wanted to break some record or have something. I already did that 'cause I already won a slam as a first Polish player. Obviously being No. 1 as the third player in history is great.

But for sure when it happens, when you lose it, there are some sad emotions. Yeah, as I said at the beginning, all these great players know it's going to come back if you're going to work hard, focus on the right things, just develop as a player.

For sure besides this match, which was pretty weird, I feel like I am progressing as a player. I have more skills. This season was - is still - the hardest part is already done for me, but this season was really tough and intense. It's not easy to cope with all of this stuff, yeah.

I'm just happy that I will have time to reset a little bit.

Q. It sounds like the No. 1 ranking was weighing on you. Is there any feeling of relief for you?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the thing is that I wouldn't say 'relief'. There are, like, plenty of things that I know I should have done differently. Maybe I'm not mature enough yet to do that.

I'm really working hard to, like, not think about this stuff a lot. Sometimes when you force yourself not to think about stuff, the result is the opposite.

I'm really happy that I have, like, smart people around me and they are telling me how to do it, and they are guiding me. But it's on me to actually make it happen.

For sure when I'm going to be next time in the same situation, I'm going to do some stuff differently because, yeah, it was a little bit stressful, and it shouldn't be.

I mean, tennis is stressful overall, but I should embrace it a little bit more. I'll do it differently next time, so I guess that's positive.