AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2024

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

L. NOSKOVA/I. Swiatek

3-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Iga, not the result you wanted tonight obviously, but just talk us through your thoughts on the match, please.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't have many thoughts right now. I will watch and analyze what I did wrong.

I don't know. I felt like I had everything under control until she broke me in the second set. But, yeah, well, I had couple of chances to break her in second set and I didn't use them. So that's a shame.

But when she broke me, she was kind of proactive. I wanted to do that as well later in the next games. Sometimes, yeah, I was rushing it. I just wasn't playing kind of with my intuition and naturally.

I guess I'll have to work on stuff to feel more comfortable next year.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. The first two rounds, did they take more out of you than you anticipated?

IGA SWIATEK: No, physically I felt -- honestly, I didn't feel anything. So pretty good. Mentally, as well, I felt like actually I came back in my match against Danielle, and I could kind of start over and not expect a lot, just try to play my game.

Q. Is there something you found particularly hard to read in her service game?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, yeah, it was tough to read her serve. I would say she kind of serves Sabalenka's, Rybakina's style in terms of the placement and the speed. I would say that I wasn't returning overall on this tournament the same way as usually, especially the second serves.

But still I know that I did everything I could to try to make it work. Technically it didn't work. But I know I did everything I could. I have kind of no regrets.

For sure I wish I could have played a little bit better in this tournament.

Q. You're obviously very disappointed at this point. Is it a different kind of feeling of disappointment than last year? When you lost here, you were quite shaken up. How have you grown since then, at least in this immediately 30 minutes?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, last year I felt like much more off the balance. I felt like the whole season may be just tough because of the start. I was expecting much more. This year I was more focused on just not the results and not the rankings or my game a little bit more.

This year I feel like I just want to get kind of back to work. I know I'm going to have plenty of chances during the season to show my game.

Last year I felt like I was just overwhelmed with beginning the year as world No. 1. It kind of took me off my balance. It was totally different, yeah.

Q. What has been particularly difficult do you think that makes Melbourne Park particularly difficult for you?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, surface is quicker. That's all I would say.

Q. In terms of your overall feelings, is it one of frustration or disappointment? How would you articulate it so we understand where you feel?

IGA SWIATEK: Why do you need to understand? Sometimes I don't even understand, so I don't know if you will.

I mean, as I said, I really wasn't expecting a lot. I just tried to do the best kind of work possible. I felt today that, okay, I wasn't playing my best game, and I had many things that didn't work on previous rounds. I felt actually today that I'm playing little bit better.

I kind of took care of everything that I wanted to. I just feel like I need to analyze and see what I've done wrong. Sometimes I felt that I'm doing things wrong even during the game, but it was kind of too late to change that because I already lost the point.

Well, I just feel like, I don't know, I lost but I'm going to have more tournaments. I remember just last year getting back to work. I could reset and just focus on next tournaments. So I'm going to do the same this year.

Q. You said earlier about the intuition missing. I wonder why that was. Was that specifically tonight or has that been for the whole tournament?

IGA SWIATEK: Whole tournament. For sure I was more stressed than on other tournaments, especially first two rounds. But I think some things just didn't work as they did before, even though I was working the same way. I feel like I did really everything I could in pre-season to improve some stuff that I wanted to.

Then I came here and I wasn't playing kind of natural anymore. I don't know, like my split step was too late sometimes. Reaction a little bit slower. Some other things. Basically, yeah, I was trying just to improve that. That was the only thing I kind of focused on. That's why it wasn't so natural as usually.

Q. The last three games of the second set kind of ran away from you very quickly. Did you have the feeling on court that something had changed either on your side on her side for the match to take that detour?

IGA SWIATEK: As I said, I felt like I had everything under control. But I think she just went all in without any pressure. She probably knew that she has nothing to lose, you know? Maybe I should have done that when I had break points in previous games, but I wanted kind of to be the solid version of myself.

I think she went all in. I remember I think I served only one first serve in during that game, so maybe that was the reason. But honestly, I remember how focused I was before the serves and I knew that I kind of took care of everything that I do usually. I'm not sure why I didn't put these serves in. I would need to watch.

I mean, she just used the chance and she went all in on her return game, then she just won her serve and that's all.