PORSCHE TENNIS GRAND PRIX

April 18, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome back to Stuttgart. You obviously haven't played since Indian Wells. Just talk us through how you're feeling and how the injury has healed up.

IGA SWIATEK: Good. I'm not injured anymore, so that's the most important thing for me. I feel like I used that time in Warsaw well to rest a little bit and to not think about tennis.

I have still been working out physically a little bit and obviously coming back to practicing step by step. Here I am, and I think I'm ready.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You are the No. 1 in the world. You won in Stuttgart last year. Do you want to defend the title?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, of course (smiling). I think any of us wants to win the tournament. For me, you know, it doesn't really matter what happened last year, because it's a totally different story. You know, I treat every tournament really as the one that I want to win.

For sure here it's a special one, because I have really nice memories from last year. It's the first tournament on clay. So for sure I would love to play well, but I also know that I might be a little bit rusty, because coming back from injury, it's always a little bit like that. So I'm keeping my expectations low, but for sure I want to play best tennis possible.

Q. You had a few tough losses on hard court. Also tough luck with injuries. But now we are back on clay. Some players struggled while you dominated last year. Does this feel like coming home a little bit, maybe like Rafa, okay, we're playing in my wheelhouse now, this is my home?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, like answering the first part of your question, I wouldn't say I had like tough luck with injuries, because that's the first time I'm injured since like three years ago. So it says that we are doing a good job. And last season was pretty intense, so I'm happy with how I am physically.

You know, I feel like, you know, for sure start of the season was tough, but then I was able to reset and play better and better every tournament. So hopefully I'm gonna be able to continue that here.

Coming back, it's for sure really nice. I love staying here and this tournament has a totally different atmosphere, you know, playing indoors, such a nice audience and everything so elegant. I really love it. I just hope I'm gonna play good tennis.

Q. Welcome. Just in terms of the practices that you have had here, I noticed you have had quite a few practice sessions with other players and stuff. Are you feeling the rust in those rallies and those maybe sets that you have played through, and where are you feeling it? Or are you feeling like you're where you want to be?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, a week ago I would say I do, but right now, actually, you know, playing these practices really helped me. It's pretty easy to kind of just imagine that you are doing the same stuff on a match. So I really use that to kind of get my focus 100% and kind of imagine what decisions I would make during the match.

So I would say, no, I'm ready. You know, we'll see on court, but honestly, these practices tell me that, like, I play like I wouldn't even had a break. So it's pretty nice.

I feel like, you know, after my experiences with injuries like when I was younger, 2019, I always came back fast. So I hope it's not gonna change when I'm gonna get older, but I feel like I'm still capable to do that. So yeah.

Q. The WTA is going back to China this year. First, how do you look at this decision? Second, were you somehow involved? You have been asked about that from Steve Simon or...

IGA SWIATEK: No, no. I didn't talk with anybody about it. You know, like first of all, I just trust that the WTA is making right decision. I hope that we, as players, can be safe no matter what country we are from.

But, yeah, like I don't have any kind of even, I don't know, emotional influence because I have never even been to China. It's hard for me to say anything, but I just hope that WTA is strategically making a good choice.

Q. But you will definitely play in China when...

IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly our plans kind of -- yeah, I mean, I think so. We haven't talked about it in the team, but, you know, the biggest tournaments are going to be there at the end of the year.

Yeah, the calendar is constructed that way, so we kind of have to follow that. But we only talked about up until Wimbledon what's happening, so we are not, you know, looking that far.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about your next opponent, you know, that you played twice last year, every time was a third set. Was very difficult also in Paris for you. Did you watch a little bit of the match Zheng played yesterday, or...

IGA SWIATEK: No, I didn't. I never do that, honestly. It's my coach's job to watch it and kind of learn from it and see what we have to do on court against the opponent. So I never do that.

You know, I'm just gonna kind of focus on myself. Yeah, as I said, I'll see how I'm gonna feel on court, and I'm pretty sure that with my experience I can do a lot.

But tactically, you know, we haven't talked about it yet, because the match is probably going to be on Thursday. Yeah, I have nothing more to say, but for sure, past matches we played against each other were pretty tough, and playing against her is a challenge.

So, you know, I'm not gonna take anything for granted. You know, these matchups here are pretty intense, even in first round, so it's a hard tournament to play, for sure.

Q. You haven't played a three-set match this year? I think so? So on one hand that shows your focus in early rounds, but your losses have also been one-sided. Do you find explanation for that? Last time you were a little bit injured, but is it also that you panic a little too fast this year?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, no, I wouldn't say so. You know, I have been talking about, you know, what happened in Australia, all the pressure that I faced. So for sure it wasn't easy back there.

But I would say, you know, I lost against pretty solid players, you know, Barbora, Elena, and I know they can play good tennis. For sure, you know, I want to not lose, not play tight matches because I want to win easy, but for sure when it comes to -- the only thing I can do, it's kind of there for the future and think what I have to change.

I wouldn't say it has something to do with mentality or anything. It's just how these matches were played, you know, and that's fine, but I'm not really coming back to that. As you see, I didn't even know that I didn't play a three-set match, so I don't really care.

Q. You have obviously achieved and have received many different accolades and awards, but where does the Time Top 100 thing kind of stack up with Polish Athlete of the Year, Laureus, all that sort of stuff?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it's hard to choose. Pretty high (smiling).

No, I mean, I'm pretty proud of myself that I made it, and it's such a great honor, you know. On one hand, it's like I don't even know how that happened, because, you know, when I'm living my life day by day, I don't think about things like that, but I'm pretty happy that my work has been acknowledged on court and off the court as well, because we are really working hard with that too.

So, yeah, I'm just happy and proud of myself. And Mikaela did a great job of writing everything, so I had goose bumps, and this is something that has really motivated me to work harder next year.

Q. Just wondering, as you had that Instagram Live, is Mikaela Shiffrin coming?

IGA SWIATEK: Here? Well, ask her. I invited. So I did my part. Well, I think she's pretty busy, so I wouldn't hope, but that would be fun, for sure.