US OPEN

August 25, 2023

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome.

IGA SWIATEK: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Past success here at the US Open. Your thoughts as you get ready for what's coming up the next two weeks.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure I'm happy that I had time to practice a little bit more and to work on some technical stuff. But I'm really happy with my performance in Montreal and Cincinnati.

I get more, like, positive vibes, for sure than before last year's tournament. But being the defending champion is not easy, so I'm kind of taking it easy, trying to do everything step by step.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You've had three successful title defenses already this year, I believe.

IGA SWIATEK: Okay. I don't know (smiling).

Q. I'm curious, what have you learned is the key to defending a title?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, that's a tough question because on one hand you always want to kind of take experience from last year, find all these positive things that happened, take strength from that.

On the other hand you have to remember that it's totally different story. A lot can happen during like these 12 months. So I try to, yeah, take everything step by step, not really go forward with my thoughts, think that I need to do something more because last year I won.

Yeah, remembering this is a totally different chapter always help. I also want to kind of just take a lesson from last year. I learned a lot during US Open. This was probably the most important tournament in terms of me believing in myself and progressing on hard courts.

So, yeah, I'll try to just focus on that. As I said, yeah, take everything step by step.

Q. Given that you won three of the last six Grand Slams, do you feel you have a mental edge over other players when the Grand Slams come around?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, that's a nice stat. You always tell me these stats, guys, and I haven't even known.

Hmm, I wouldn't say so because all of us can win these tournaments. You have to be ready anyway. Even if you won all these tournaments, it doesn't mean that you don't have to work tennis-wise the same way, be really intense, and mentally also be ready.

For sure I take confidence from that. I feel like on Grand Slams I'm kind of more efficient. These are the tournaments that I focus on, that I work to have the best shape on Grand Slams.

So for sure I'm using that, but on the other hand you can't take anything for granted. You have to be ready on every match anyway.

Q. We saw ahead of last year's tournament you talked about what it's like to be world No. 1 and feel like everybody is chasing you. What have you learned about dealing with that pressure, how you've grown?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, I would say at the beginning of this season was pretty tough for me. I learned the most because I felt like everybody started to analyze my game, to learn little bit more. They kind of focused on winning with me. So it wasn't easy. I felt that.

On the other hand, if you want to be the best player in the world, you have to be ready for that. I learned that I should just focus on myself, not really think about rankings and points, just focus on developing as a player because there are many things I want to change or improve.

When I think about that, when I really dig into work hard, that's the time where I progress the most, when my tennis is just getting better. So I learned that you shouldn't really just overanalyze it or think about it. You should just play the game the same way as you would if your ranking would be lower. You just have to use the experience, for sure, and the confidence, but still remember that the most important thing is to develop as a player.

I'm still 22, so I have a lot to learn (smiling).

Q. Some players said Iga is the target. Did that surprise you?

IGA SWIATEK: No, it didn't, because I know that I won many matches against these players in the past. I understand their feelings. But, yeah, it doesn't really matter for me. I want to win anyway, no matter what they say, so yeah.

Q. There's an offer on the table for the WTA Finals to go to Saudi Arabia this year. What are your thoughts on that? Would you consider not going or are you set on going?

IGA SWIATEK: I don't have a lot of thoughts because we hear many stuff on tour. I'm still waiting for, like, the final decision.

We as players, we are not involved in all the discussions. I'm kind of waiting on what WTA will tell us.

For sure it's pretty unfortunate and annoying we don't have any decision yet. But I'll see. I'll probably have more to say when the decision is going to be out.

Q. What are your thoughts on Coco Gauff's development as a player and what did you see when you faced her?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, obviously she's developing. She's a hard worker. For sure, yeah, you saw the progress. Also mentally she kind of has shown that she can win these tournaments.

But for sure when I played against her, I just felt that obviously she always served fast, but she's serving even faster now. Even though she's risking, she's putting these serves in.

I think when she played against me, she was really kind of like loosened up and she went all in. It wasn't an easy match.

Yeah, I can see she's progressing, so that's really nice for her.

Q. What do you think about the video replay which is testing this year, about the double bounce, for example?

IGA SWIATEK: The what?

Q. There is a video referee when it comes about double bounce or net contact.

IGA SWIATEK: You mean, like in football, the VAR, yeah?

Q. Yeah.

IGA SWIATEK: It's going to be on this tournament?

Q. Yes.

IGA SWIATEK: I'm not prepared for that. I didn't know (laughter).

Well, I got to see how the system works. I don't know. I don't know. Ask me after my first match maybe.

For sure we need that. I got my thoughts together (smiling).

For sure we need that in tennis because there are many important points that can really change the momentum. Sometimes the decisions that the umpire take, everything is going so fast that sometimes it would be nice for them to have a replay and to exactly see what happened.

We could see what happened in Budapest. Yeah, it's not easy for players to kind of accept that sometimes these decisions may be unfair. I think it will help a lot for the game to become, yeah, more fair. Other sports are developing in that matter, so tennis should as well.

Q. Having had the chance to practice, what do you make of the conditions, getting to play with the Extra Duty ball here?

IGA SWIATEK: For sure I feel like the ball here and Montreal, Cincinnati, when I played matches, it makes more sense to play with it because the previous one was made for clay, this one is more durable. It doesn't, like, fly without control in the air.

I don't know what other players are saying, but that's my thought.

Yeah, I practiced couple of times on Ashe already, yesterday with the roof closed. I feel like I got all the experiences here. The practice courts are a little bit faster, I would say, than the match courts. It's usually like that.

I'm really happy that I had time to just focus little bit more on technique and to kind of remind myself what I should think about during matches for my game to be more solid and efficient.

I'm happy I had this one week off after Cincinnati.

Q. What books have you been reading?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, right now I'm still reading "Cry of the Kalahari." I'm also watching the "Veep" for the second time actually (smiling). I got a break from reading after Cincinnati because I was reading so much when I play matches that I want to kind of watch some TV show, and binge watch now when I can (smiling).

Q. Going back to the topic of the WTA Finals, it's getting kind of late, only two months away. Is anybody or you in particular getting impatient? Have you had the opportunity to talk to the other players about organizing logistics and everything?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, obviously we want to know because it's hard to plan also what's going to happen after. I would love to play Billie Jean King Cup Finals, especially when we got a wild card. I don't know where the Finals are going to be, how it's going to look with the traveling and everything.

It would be great, yeah, if the decision were made earlier. Especially when we were in Fort Worth, they kind of assured us the decision is going to be made at the beginning of the year. It is a little bit annoying, but as players there's nothing we can do, because it's all about business and negotiations that WTA has, so we kind of have to wait.

Maybe the players from players council know a little bit more, so... I don't really want to, like, dig into the Finals topic because obviously it is frustrating, but there's no sense to overanalyze it.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

IGA SWIATEK: Thank you.