AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 18, 2024

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/D. Collins

6-4, 3-6, 6-4

IGA SWIATEK: I just want to start with offering my condolences because I heard one of your colleagues passed away. I was really sorry to hear that. Yeah, I want to offer my condolences.

THE MODERATOR: Iga, a very tough battle and a big comeback. Talk us through your thoughts, especially in that third set today.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, there were many thoughts. For sure, yeah, I didn't feel like I had control over this match. I wanted to fight till the end. I knew that, as I said on the post-match interview, it's hard for anybody to keep that level that Danielle showed in the second set and at the beginning of the third.

I just wanted to be ready whenever I had a chance to come back and, yeah, just play a little bit more because there weren't many rallies. She was really aggressive. I wanted to do the same. In second set for sure she showed better quality.

I'm happy that I was solid and I just believed till the end.

THE MODERATOR: Who would like the first question?

Q. What's your main takeaway from this? You're thrilled that you came back obviously. Do you think in terms of heading into the next match what you need to improve? What do you pinpoint?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't know if I can improve. I mean, I always try, but it's hard to know if you can actually improve something only like one hour of practice I'm going to have tomorrow.

Honestly, I feel like it's all about momentum. She played really well. I mean, it's not like I'm kind of just explaining why I lost the set and I was in trouble. I felt like she played really well. I did everything I could. I would say the same if I would lose.

For the next match, I'm just going to kind of start from the beginning. It's another round and, yeah, fight no matter what.

Q. I noticed that you were wearing headphones when you entered the arena today. What song were you listening to and what artists you usually listen to and what you want the music to give you in that situation?

IGA SWIATEK: I was listening to The Rolling Stones. I feel like when I'm really well-focused I am kind of repeating the same song throughout the whole match. Yeah, I mean, it gives me energy and I can kind of narrow my focus just to that song that I keep hearing and the technical stuff that I want to think about.

Yeah, I don't like when my brain is kind of picking up the songs from the changeovers because every time is a different one. I want to keep, yeah, hearing The Rolling Stones.

Q. Which song? Do you remember which song?

IGA SWIATEK: I don't want to say 'cause I already said couple of times. It became like the anthem of the tournament or whatever. It ruined it a little bit for me. I don't want to say (smiling).

I had on my first Roland Garros that I won "Welcome to the Jungle." I couldn't even hear it ever again because of all this fuss that this song made, so yeah...

Q. It looked like there was a stretch in the second set and in the third set you were having trouble controlling your forehand, then all of a sudden you stopped having trouble controlling your forehand. Is it an adjustment or does it just come and go by chance? What happened there?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I tried to do the right movement, like, keep my hands fast no matter what. Sometimes it went in; sometimes not.

I know that I still have many things to improve in my forehand, as in other shots. For sure, yeah, it didn't work during some part of the match.

I can't tell you why it clicked. It's really different factors. Maybe she played a little bit slower. Maybe I had closer. Whatever. Sometimes the momentum changes and then it's easier.

For sure I would say in the second set I was overall a little bit frustrated. Also it didn't help. In third, I came back to my normal kind of focus.

Q. She's a really intense opponent. I think that's well-known. Does that impact you at all on your side of the court? When you're down 4-1 in the third set against her, are there any of those dark thoughts of, I can't climb back or this is going to be the end for me?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I mean, you're not going to lie to yourself obviously that you're losing 4-1. The only thing you can do is just try again. At that point you kind of know that you may lose. You can actually relax a little bit more because you know that, Okay, probably I'm going to lose, so I don't care anymore. Then it's easier (smiling). Sometimes it works like that.

But it doesn't change the fact that I just kept trying. I kind of accept that I'm not going to only have this motivational and positive thoughts. When I go and start the rally, well, I hope most of the time I have the same kind of intensity.

Yeah, for sure it impacts the fact that she's so intense. I think it will impact anybody because she's playing really fast. Like, sometimes it felt like she's even closing her eyes and really hitting just through the lines. There was nothing I could do.

As I said at the beginning, I was kind of sure that she's going to have trouble maintaining that level throughout the whole match.

Q. You just beat a former champion and former finalist to make the third round. How proud are you of getting through these first tough couple rounds? Danielle said during her press conference this is going to be her last year on tour. I'm curious what you think of that.

IGA SWIATEK: I didn't know she's planning to retire. Yeah, we played so many tight matches. They were hard, so I don't know if I'm going to miss that (smiling). For sure she showed great tennis, really great passion and determination. I know she's not done yet, but for sure I'm going to congratulate her for her whole career.

The draw? Well, it was tough. It happens. I think it was even like the toughest one I ever had, maybe even more than when I was unseeded couple of years back.

Yeah, I'm proud to survive this and I'm already thinking about the next goals.

Q. Regarding the draw, does any part of you feel like the third round, after two challenging opening matches like that, might be a little bit less intense for you to then move on and start thinking about the rest?

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry?

Q. Do you feel like the third round for you might be less intense and give you a chance to think about something further down the track?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, no, because I don't know how Linda is going to play, how the match is going to look. I'm ready for every match kind of to be intense.

Obviously sometimes it's more intense with players that are having different styles. But she's also playing really good and really fast. I'll be ready.

I don't mind actually that it was intense because I remember also when I started the tournament with some easy matches, then I felt I was a little bit rusty when the tough moments came.

Honestly, every Grand Slam, the path can look really differently. But at the end I came to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter. You just have to be ready.

I mean, at the US Open in 2022, I also had trouble. I think it was third round against Yulia. I guess it doesn't really matter.

Q. The fact that you can't really plan to improve something in the one hour a day you play, at the beginning of a tournament you realize that it's not the setup that you would like, do you just say, This is it, I'm going to have to get to the end of the tournament this way, or do you still want to try to do something to get improvement?

IGA SWIATEK: I will always try. Actually I'm usually wanting to try even too much. The team is like, Keep it easy, keep it cool. If you're going to kind of just try and try, these things may improve.

I think, like any champion would say to you, basically most of the times they haven't felt comfortable throughout the whole two weeks of the Grand Slam. We've seen many tournaments where, I mean, Novak, I haven't seen him play, but it seemed like he's not winning too easily. He's also that kind of person that probably improves during the tournament, is able to do that.

I also saw Rafa on some tournaments doing that. I'm just trying to take an example from that and not panic so early.

I also remember I also struggled couple of times during Grand Slams on the first rounds, then I won Roland Garros like that, I won US Open like that. Yeah, but I always try to improve it. As I said, during one-hour practice, there's not much you can improve. It's probably just in your head, yeah.

Q. I think you changed the way you return. Maybe you used to bend your knees more deeper.

IGA SWIATEK: I think it's fluid.

Q. You're changing or not?

IGA SWIATEK: No. We're playing throughout the whole year, so it may change a little bit. Sometimes it's hard to keep the same technique when I haven't had time to practice some stuff.

Yeah, I would say when I got down and then up couple of tournaments. Usually my return is better when I stay at the same level with my head, yeah. But, yeah, I'm trying to kind of work on that. There's so many things to work on (smiling).