DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2024

Iga Swiatek

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/S. Stephens

6-4, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on your opening win here in Dubai. Can you describe your thoughts after the match.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure it wasn't easy. We had a lot of tight games. I really needed to perform a little bit better in those important moments because I couldn't convert some break points. But I'm happy that at the end I did.

Yeah, it wasn't easy. It's nice that I played even a longer match here so I could adjust to the surface.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. From our side, we can't tell how much effort Sloane is putting in because it looks effortless. It looked like a grueling match. Can you give us an idea of what made her tricky or what she's good at?

IGA SWIATEK: I think it looks like it because she's kind of using the opponent's power a little bit. Yeah, I think she played smart. I want to be more precise maybe in my next matches. I felt like sometimes a shot was going 50 centimeters to the left or right. That's why it was hard to make her run a little bit more. But she played well. I think that's why it was pretty tight.

I'm happy that I'm through.

Q. In terms of buckling down in the late stages of the first and second set, what were you telling yourself? What did you think was the key to close out those sets the way that you did?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, only thing I focused on was actually being focused because there were a lot of people shouting in Polish. I appreciate the support, but sometimes they were doing that when Sloane was walking to serve, a few seconds before the point. I knew we should be used to that, but today was a little bit harder for me to focus. I just kind of wanted to do that better.

I just need to go a level up, but just a little bit. There weren't, like, many important changes I could do to make my game better because I knew I just needed to play better just a little bit and it's all going to be fine.

Q. I could be wrong, but I sometimes see you moving your mouth when you're serving. Are you telling yourself something?

IGA SWIATEK: Before or during?

Q. Before you were serving, you were moving your mouth.

IGA SWIATEK: If it's before, I probably was saying something to myself. But during, I don't think that I can control that (laughter).

Q. What kind of stuff do you tell yourself in that situation?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly I talk to myself all the time because my brain is, like, so crazy. If I wouldn't talk to myself, it would go thinking about some really stupid thing (smiling). I need to keep it busy to focus on the right things.

Q. Can you talk about your next match Elina Svitolina.

IGA SWIATEK: I think I just got to know my opponent. Obviously I don't have my tactics ready.

It's not going to be easy. She's pretty fresh, I guess. She didn't may a lot. I just have to be ready and take a lesson from Wimbledon and try to play my game.

Q. How do you manage to maintain your focus during the fireworks?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly, as I said before, I kind of wanted to improve that during the whole match. I wouldn't say the fireworks distracted me because this is something I really couldn't have impact on. These aren't people. They are just going to be loud, and you have to kind of play during that.

I wouldn't say it was that hard. I just got scared at the beginning because I didn't know what that was.

Q. Obviously because you just won a title, coming here, are you feeling like it's a new week or an accumulation from last week?

IGA SWIATEK: I mean, I don't feel like I'm really tired. I feel like I can kind of just go with the flow in terms of the confidence that I felt after last week's matches.

Yeah, I feel like it's one swing. I feel like we don't have that much break between the tournament, so I treat it like one, I don't know, thing.

But physically, I guess we'll see. I feel well now. I don't mind.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

IGA SWIATEK: Let's go to the player party (smiling).