MUTUA MADRID OPEN

April 23, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome back to Madrid. How are you doing, how are you feeling?

IGA SWIATEK: Good. Happy to be here.

THE MODERATOR: Take some questions, please.

Q. You played such a great match in the final here last year, I'm just wondering if you feel you're far enough from that level, if that's a match that sometimes comes back into your mind?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, I just think about it from time to time, but not in a really specific way. For sure it was a great match, and it's just hard, it's just, you know, hard to relive it, because there are not many matches that are so intense and on such a high level. Sometimes the finals are actually a bit worse level than, I don't know, quarterfinals or semis, because the players are a little bit tight. But me and Aryna, we put on a great show, for sure. I just thought that because, you know, also for the fans I think it was great to watch it, yeah.

Q. And your level now?

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, I mean, I'm just starting the tournament, you know, I haven't played a match here yet, so it's hard to say. No one -- I think no one judges from the practice court, but on the practice court I feel great, so we'll see how it looks in the matches.

Q. I wanted to ask you, what do you prefer, one-week or two-week tournaments?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, I stopped thinking about that because we just have to adjust to what we have. They changed these events for longer ones like some time ago, so I kind of really got used to this system, but I was fine with playing one-week events as well. I think it didn't really change my results as well, so I don't mind, I like both.

Q. When you get to the stage of the season when you're going into the clay, does anything change for you, do you kind of relax a little bit, because clay is such a favored surface for you, yeah, what kind of changes for you at this point?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure at the beginning you have many things to focus on in terms of adjusting your game, so it's nice to have these first days and first week of just grinding and practicing. I love that, especially on clay, because tennis for me it's the most logical there, and also you can be more creative in terms of the tactics and everything, so I really enjoy that.

Yeah, I think when I feel like I can use this on a match court, for sure I am more relaxed. I just know my weapons, I know I always have a plan B in my defense, which sometimes is impossible, you know, on faster hard courts, for example. So I just use that and it gives me confidence for sure.

Q. A few players have been asked about the kind of pressures of anti-doping control and feeling very careful about what they put into their bodies. Obviously after what happened to you and Jannik last year I just wondered what it looks like on a day-to-day basis for you, the kind of extra precautions that you have to take, and whether that takes a toll.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, honestly, after a couple of years you think about this all the time. It's pretty, it gives a little anxiety, I would say, and it's not, not only, I'm not only talking about me, because I kind of got used to the system and I've been through the worst, and I was able to come back from that and I was able to solve it, so I feel like nothing can kind of stop me.

But for sure, yeah, I know from even other players that it's not easy, and the whole system is kind of, it's just tough, you know, because, like, I didn't have much control over what happened to me, and I can imagine some players, like they're always scared that it can happen to them.

Yeah, with always giving your location and everything, sometimes, system-wise, it's just hard to catch up. Because like every day when we're traveling we need to literally say where we are. If we forget we might get a no show and then three no show and it's ban. So, yeah, there's a lot of pressures with that, and it's not easy to manage that, but it is what it is.

Q. Your next opponent you know very well. How will clay make this a different match?

IGA SWIATEK: We'll see (laughing). I mean, honestly, with Alexandra, like it's not like we played a lot, so it's hard for me to say. I guess I'll just need to see and adjust. We'll talk for sure about the tactics today with Wim and, yeah, but I'm not going to predict anything, like I'm not a wizard (laughing).

Q. How are you approaching your match against Alex Eala, being your first match here, being on a court that you're really familiar with, how much do you think that's going to work towards your advantage, and how different will it be you think from playing on hard against her the last time? Do you feel better playing her on clay?

IGA SWIATEK: What was the end? What did you say at the end?

Q. For the last part? Yeah, do you feel better, overall do you feel better, more better playing against her on the clay court, in a court that you really have had so much success?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, again, like I haven't started the tournament yet, so you guys need to let me go on court and feel what I feel, you know. I'm going to be able probably to answer that question afterwards.

Yeah, like I haven't played with Alexandra on other surfaces than Miami's hard court, so it's really hard to say. But I guess we'll see, you know. I feel like I know this place pretty well, so I'm going to use the experience, but the experience doesn't play, so I got to approach this match as any other match, doesn't really matter what happened in Miami.

Q. At some point in his career Roger Federer said he created a monster because people thought he was going to win everything, then Rafa came in and on clay was winning everything as if it was normal. I wonder if you're at this stage where you feel the same, like you created that monster of, you come to a clay tournament and you're going to win, or any tournament, and you're going to win, and is it tough to live through that?

IGA SWIATEK: Wait, you mean what people think? I mean, it's crazy, but people are not aware I think when they think about other people that we're also human, you know. So, yeah, the expectations for sure are high, but they're high every year for me since 2022.

I'm just trying to keep my job and not really focus on what people say. Honestly, like they have no idea what's going on in any of our lives, so if they think some things, they can just think, but it's not necessarily the truth, so, yeah, but for sure I'm grateful that they have high hopes.

Q. Just wondered, after someone attended one of your practice sessions and they were ejected and all of that, I just wondered how that's affected how safe you feel at these events?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly, anything that happened, not only with me but with other players, I feel like WTA reacted pretty quickly and they helped us immediately, so I feel safe, like, because of that.

But honestly, like many crazy things can happen, you can never predict. I'm not sure what's the procedure in terms of checking who comes on site or not, I didn't really follow that. But because of the reaction of WTA and how they also say that they're protecting us I feel safe, and I hope it's going to stay like that.

Q. (Question off microphone.)

IGA SWIATEK: No? Maybe should I say yes? Yes.