ROLAND GARROS

June 3, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/E. Svitolina

6-1, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Iga, congratulations. Into yet another Roland Garros semifinal. Obviously Elina is a very tough opponent, but tell us how you were able to overcome today and win in straight sets.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, I knew it's going to be a tough match, and it was. You know, even though first set, the score looks pretty straightforward, it wasn't like that in any other games. You know, it wasn't straightforward. I had to fight for every point.

Yeah, I'm happy that I also stepped up when she broke me in the second set and that I kept my intensity until the end.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English, please.

Q. You played a lot of the key points really well today, I thought. Just curious how you're feeling. As you said, a lot of the games were really tight, a lot of deuce games, but you kind of came through the important moments.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I knew that I need to be proactive, and Elina, we already played Grand Slam quarterfinal in Wimbledon. I think I won the first set, and she's that kind of player that goes for it, and she's not going to doubt.

So in important points, I knew that I have to be brave and just, yeah, be intense and try to push her, because she's not going to give me points for free.

Q. Just looking ahead to the next match, you've obviously practiced quite a bit with Aryna more recently, including here before the tournament. Who approached who in that situation to practice here? And what do you kind of hope to get out of that from kind of your own point of view and from what you learned about her too?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, we just played one hour, so we basically just warmed up and played points, so it wasn't like a normal practice. It was more like just playing points, you know.

I don't know who approached who. I think the coaches talked. I don't know, Wim talks with everybody, so I'm not sure whose idea was that. I mean, it's great always to practice with Aryna. She gives a great rhythm, and the practice will have quality, you know, so it was great.

Honestly, it was like two weeks ago. It was the first points that I played after Rome. I think a lot changed since then. No point to, like -- yeah, I don't really have a lot to say about the practice. Sorry.

Q. Do you tend to watch your rival's matches? Like would you watch Sabalenka's matches this year as part of your homework, or is it something that you tend to do?

IGA SWIATEK: Not really, because I'm really bad at it. Like, I don't see many stuff, you know, when I watch, when I watch on my laptop, because live is totally different story. I see a lot.

But from the camera perspective, not really. So I leave that to Wim. But honestly, I feel like we both know how we play, so it's not like you're going to find something extraordinary there. So, yeah, I'm just going to follow the tactics that Wim has.

Q. Iga, when you go on this court, this Chatrier court to play anybody, whether it's Sabalenka or anybody else, does it give you a little bit of extra confidence? I'm not saying that you go in believing you're unbeatable or anything like that, but is there a slightly different mindset when you come up against somebody like Sabalenka or other top-10 players on this center court?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, as you know, every match is different, so I can't say like it's this or that every time, because we're humans. We feel different things, you know, every day.

But for sure I know what I'm fighting about, and I know my game is somewhere there even when the moment is tough. Like against Elina, I knew that I can find it if I push hard enough, and she lets me a little bit.

So I feel like on this court and overall, like, Roland Garros, yeah, I should always push until the end and fight for everything, because there's more probably that I overcome some stuff rather than in other places. I just maybe believe it a little bit more.

Q. Just looking to the next match, when you play Aryna, just wonder if you can talk about the extent to which that kind of elevates your game, makes you play better, and changes the way you play, if at all?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, when was the last time we played? I think in Cincinnati.

Q. Cincinnati, yeah.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, so it was a long time ago. Yeah, I mean, for sure you need to be 100%, and you need to be there, but I wouldn't say it's different against Coco or against good players overall, like against the top 5, you know?

Yeah, I don't know if she elevates my game. Against every player, we play different way, so it's hard to compare. But for sure our rivalry is pushing both of us, I think, but it's not only about the level of tennis. It's about like everything, how we work, and how professional we are. So I can say that for sure.

Q. Do you feel like a different player since you won against Rybakina? You said it was this kind of victory that you needed to feel perhaps more confident. And the second one, how pleased were you with your serve today, besides from the last game with the three aces that, as you said on court, was quite unexpected?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't feel like a different player, because that would be weird if I would have, like, two personalities. I know that I am the same player. Sometimes it's just nice to have matches like that to really dig deep and find solutions even in toughest moments, and also remember how it was to deal with the tough moments and still be able to keep your level or play even better in tough moments.

For sure this match against Elina give me that and give me that confidence that I can do this, but no, I don't feel like a different player.

Q. How pleased were you today with the quality of your serve, apart from the last game which was a bit perhaps unusual?

IGA SWIATEK: I wouldn't judge because the wind was pretty crazy, so I think it always affects the serve. Sometimes you just have to put it in. I think Elina also had this issue sometimes. We just played it in because it was so hard to control the toss and everything with this wind.

The wind got harder in second set, so then you just need to kind of survive with it and not really look for aces or anything.

Q. Just how bad was the wind today compared with other times when you've been on this court? And as someone who has played on these stadium courts often, is the wind here worse than Rod Laver, Arthur Ashe, and Centre Court of Wimbledon?

IGA SWIATEK: I think the worst wind I have experienced was on Wimbledon, but maybe also because it was hard for me to find solutions there on grass anyway and the wind threw me off and, like, you know, it was just a little bit worse in my head.

But today for sure I think I never played in such a wind. In first set it was fine, but in second set it got pretty crazy. Like honestly, when I played against the wind, or she did, we just had to, like, stop for a second because there was so much clay in the air that you couldn't keep your eyes open.

So, yeah, I never had that here, but in first set it wasn't that bad. I think it kind of slowed down also at the end of the match.