INTERNAZIONALI BNL D'ITALIA

May 12, 2021

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/M. Keys

7-5, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Can you just talk through the match and your ability to pull off that nine-game comeback that you had there in the middle?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, it was pretty hard. I didn't have a match lately when I was actually winning set points and I came back, so it's really nice for me to have that experience.

Yeah, I feel like at the beginning my serve wasn't really working, and Madison was playing really fast, differently than most of the girls here because the surface is really slow.

It was tricky, but then I got into the rhythm and it was similar to the first round when I was, you know, coming back game after game and just trying to be patient and wait for my game. It came finally.

I know like second set wasn't really my kind of, you know, tennis because I was playing like slowly and higher. Usually I'm trying to be aggressive, but today I felt like this is the best option. I'm also trying to learn how to use, you know, different tactics and also, you know, develop in different kind of areas than pushing and approaching.

So that was a good match, looking at that, for me.

Q. Before, in your first-round match before Riske was injured, you obviously had the comeback. You were down in the scoreline and came back. Today you made the adjustments and came back. How much of a confidence booster and a much-needed confidence booster maybe for you is it that you have been able to not panic when the score has been against you early?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, it is a confidence booster, because I feel like that was the case most of the times when I was losing. So, yeah, I'm getting experience in doing that so that's great.

But also, I'm glad that I just got the chance to play more, because my first round was really quick. I feel like I didn't have a chance to get into the rhythm and feel the courts like on matches. Obviously I was practicing a lot, but it's different on matches.

Yeah, this time I feel like I spent this amount of time on court that I can feel better and it's going to be better every match.

Q. Earlier this year Sonya Kenin spoke about the nerves that she expected to feel and the tension going into the Australian Open as the defending champion. Have you had a chance to really sit down and think about what it's going to be like for you to go back to Roland Garros? What do you expect when you first walk in those gates?

IGA SWIATEK: The thing is that I don't know actually what to expect. I wasn't thinking about it a lot because, you know, really I don't know what's going to happen. I have never been in a situation like that.

So I'm just trying to remind myself that many players, as Sofia said, are struggling with that. It would be the best option to give myself time and just be there and see how it is and just play your game.

So we're gonna see. Actually, that's why I want to have my full team there, because I want to, you know, have as much support as I can. But there are pretty strict COVID rules, and I don't know if it's going to be possible. On most of the tournaments I actually could travel with my whole team, but we're gonna see what's gonna happen with French Open. If I'm not gonna be able, then it's going to be pretty hard for me, but, you know...

Q. If you're limited to just a couple of people, who will you take?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure I need my tennis coach and my physical coach who is also a physiotherapist, which is really convenient. With my psychologist I can also work online, but it's different because I actually like to spend time off my phone.

So it will be really nice if we could go together with my full team, but we're gonna see how it's gonna go. Different tournaments there are different rules, and we kind of have to live with that. You know, we just can't be sure what's gonna happen next week or next two weeks. So I'm trying to be patient and not to worry much about that.

Q. You mentioned that the courts are slow in Rome. I was wondering what your ideal clay court conditions are. Is it warm, damp?

IGA SWIATEK: Basically my perfect clay courts are on French Open, and I always felt that. Also in terms of balls and usually the conditions.

I liked playing -- it was pretty convenient for me to play today because it was colder than previous days, and that is like really important thing for me, because I feel like I can really have better regeneration between points and I'm not feeling like dehydrated.

And also, you know, I'm not gonna talk about it a lot and analyze it a lot, because we are going to have different conditions on different sites every year, and we have to adjust to that, so I'm just focusing on that.

You know, I love playing in Paris, so it's always been my favorite clay court to play on. I'm just going to wait for that. But also I'm trying to get experience here and in Madrid, because even though I played here last year, I just played one match so it wasn't really a long tournament for me. I'm starting from the beginning right now.

Q. In Poland did you play in quite cold conditions? How cold were the conditions you played in when you were younger?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, it was pretty tough, especially in winter when I was playing on clay courts. We always had, like, 4 degrees when we were playing indoors. Even though the courts were heated it was still cold, so actually French Open was pretty lucky for me, because I actually felt prepared for that kind of conditions that were in 2020.

But, you know, we also have to work in hot conditions, because most of the tournaments are in really humid cities. This is more important. So even though I have that ability, I don't think it's going to be helpful in the future.

Q. Are you surprised to hear that the first round in Rome is played by Stephens and Keys who were finalists at the US Open four years ago, and then tonight there is Kerber and Halep who were winning Wimbledon one after the other? What that means? Even the top players can decline very suddenly, very quickly, and you can come up very quickly too? And what is the difference between these courts and the one of Roland Garros that you like better?

IGA SWIATEK: You know, it's hard to describe that, because, you know, the feeling is different but it's really hard to describe that, so for sure the balls are different. When I'm playing in Paris, I always feel like I'm really controlling the ball.

Here, I have to some kind of make adjustment in my game, so it's not like perfect for me. But I have to just work on every ball to be as good as it can be.

Yeah, the courts are obviously different. I think they are a little bit slower, and in Paris they are like softer, because the surface beneath the clay is different. That's the main difference. But I can't -- it's hard to describe the feeling.

Q. What about these players who come, go down, decline very quickly, and those players like you that come up very quickly?

IGA SWIATEK: What was the question?

Q. That in this tournament we have the first round between two former finalists at the US Open. Tonight it's the second round actually between two players who were winning Wimbledon. Things change very dramatically, don't you think so?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, that's true. I mean, we have many Grand Slam champions right now on WTA Tour, so this may happen and we have really great matches and many surprises in first round and second round.

But I feel like that's WTA right now. I think it's pretty interesting to watch women's tennis because anything can happen and it's pretty unpredictable. I like that. Actually, it gives me a lot, I feel like in the future I can be the one that is really solid and I'm working on that to be more and more consistent.

So yeah, I really like that, that we have so many great matches in first and second rounds. It's pretty cool.