ROLAND GARROS

June 6, 2024

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/C. Gauff

6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Another great match for you. Talk us through the match and what gave you an advantage today.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't think there was one specific thing, but I think I was pretty intense and putting pressure on Coco. Even though I got broken in the first -- at the beginning of the second set, I knew that I can come back quickly, and I got my level of intensity a little bit higher to do that.

I think most of the things overall in my game worked today, so I'm proud of myself.

THE MODERATOR: English questions, please.

Q. From outside I know it's not, but we're going to say business as usual Iga Swiatek in the Roland Garros final. From your perspective, are you ever getting used to it? Does it still feel like it's normal, I belong there, or is it still a bit nerves to get there?

IGA SWIATEK: After the tournament it usually hits me usually what I achieved, but during I feel like I just need to play another match.

Sometimes, yeah, it's hard not to see what's at stake and what the atmosphere is around these matches. So still I'm not used to it. It's not the routine. But on the other hand, when I'm really focused on work and on my tennis, I can kind of make it a routine because that's easier way to do it, I think.

Q. So you say when you got broken, why did you know you could come back so quickly? I mean, the crowd was into it, kind of rising on to her back. That's a moment where some players might get a little rattled. It sounds like you were, like, no, I got this, I'm totally fine. Is that a function of the matchup record that you have?

IGA SWIATEK: No, I just felt like I had good return games, and I broke her in first set a couple of times, so I knew that I can win. It didn't matter for me that I lost my service game because I knew that I'm playing well on the return, and I can kind of win the return game, and the score will be even.

Q. Maybe it's a bit early to ask that because there is still one game to play obviously, but I would like to know if there are things that you are usually doing after a title in general, and even more in Paris in the past three titles that you won here? I know going somewhere, having kind of a dinner or something.

IGA SWIATEK: There wasn't any routine because every time it was a little bit different. But yeah, there wasn't any routine. Honestly, there's not much time to celebrate because the tour is long, and you want to go back home.

I mean, last year I celebrated a bit, but, you know, two years ago I don't remember. Honestly, I don't plan on anything. I just do everything spontaneously, yeah.

Q. I wanted to know how do you see and what do you think of the comparison with Rafa Nadal, for example? The French press, they invented a word. It's a verb actually, Nadaliser, to describe your journey here in the French Open.

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry, I didn't understand the end.

Q. The French press, they invented a verb, Nadaliser in French, to describe what you do here on your journey in the French Open, to compare with Nadal.

IGA SWIATEK: We'll see in 14 years if the journey is similar. I mean, that's obviously really nice for me. I would never expect anybody to compare me to Rafa because for me he's above everybody, and he's a total legend.

Yeah, as I said, we'll see in couple of years, but I'm proud of myself that I'm playing consistently here and that I'm mentioned in the same sentence as Rafa. That's cool.

Q. How would you describe your comfort and confidence level on clay?

IGA SWIATEK: High (laughing).

Q. Can you explain why and where that came from?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, because the surface makes my game better. My grip allows me to spin more. I can play more defense points because it's a bit slower, but on the other hand, I have also more time to attack sometimes. So I feel like I'm just using it well.

Q. I just want to ask you about in the second set when there was the point where Coco returned, there was the overrule on the call, and she thought she should have -- well, you know what happened. I'm just curious whether you think there ought to be some form of video replay, something where a chair umpire could look and watch a video and say, oh, yeah, the call came as you were returning, I'm going to let you replay the point or something.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think here it would only be about the sound because if the line umpire called it after Coco's return or not, I mean, I don't want to -- I think called it after her shot, but I'm never sure honestly because I'm just focusing kind of on myself.

I don't know what you guys think. It's the umpire's decision. So, honestly, I knew that if the umpire already made a decision, she's not going to change it, so I didn't really want to get into the discussion because for me it didn't really make sense.

If Coco thought differently, then I mean, it's normal, I guess, to say something. But I didn't know honestly how the conversation looked like, so yeah.

Yeah, I think it would be easier to have the replay, but honestly we have -- I don't know how it would look like logistically. When can you ask an umpire to call a video replay or when it's up to her to do that. Because I think the umpire today was pretty sure with her call, so I don't know how that would look like, you know.

Q. I had the rare occasion to see you lose in Stuttgart. I think that was the last match you lost on clay. What has changed --

IGA SWIATEK: I hope you enjoyed it.

Q. What has changed until then? What are you doing differently now that you're not losing anymore?

IGA SWIATEK: I know what mistakes I did in Stuttgart. It was pretty easy for me to solve that. I just practiced, you know, a little bit more before Madrid with my coach. I didn't have my coach in Stuttgart, and I felt like he wasn't -- I didn't have anybody to, like, say to me before the match and work on some stuff because there also wasn't much time. We played day-by-day there.

Yeah, here for sure I'm using these days off to practice a bit more. In Madrid and Rome it was the same. These days off, they allowed me to get used to the conditions a little bit more and work on some stuff that I felt weren't perfect.

Q. On the court interview you said that maybe weather is one reason that you started playing better in the second week. So can you explain a little bit more how the weather affect your play style and maybe sunny weather suits your play style more. Can you explain a little bit about that.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, with the roof open and the sun, the ball bounces a little bit higher. Also, it's a little bit drier in the air, so it goes faster. It just makes my shots -- it makes my shots more heavy, and that's it.

Also, I think, you know, we've been playing in similar conditions in Rome and also before the tournament. So first rounds with different conditions were just a bit more tricky, yeah.

Q. Good timing because Paolini just won, so if we can have your thoughts about playing her in the final.

IGA SWIATEK: We played a long time ago, so I need to prepare tactically and see what her game is at now because for sure she's playing -- she has the best season, so she must have changed something, you know.

We'll see because, honestly, I haven't watched her matches, so there's not a lot for me to say. I'll just focus on myself and prepare tactically and try to be consistent with my tactic.