THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 9, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/L. Samsonova

6-2, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: Iga, nice win this afternoon. Can you run us through the match today?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure I'm happy with the match. From the beginning I felt like I can just play my tennis and push my opponent.

Yeah, it got more even in the second set. I was just waiting to keep my serve and close it. But even though it was, yeah, the score was tight, I'm happy that I broke in the last game, and that's it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How would you describe your experiences at Wimbledon before this year and your feeling now on reaching your first semifinal?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I still feel like in 2023 I had a great tournament, and I was playing good tennis, but it obviously wasn't enough to go further.

This year, yeah, I mean, I feel like I developed as a player, and I had time to practice little bit more. Match by match my confidence, for sure, went up so that I can use it on this Championship.

Q. And the emotions on reaching the semifinal for the first time?

IGA SWIATEK: Just happy with the work that I've been doing and proud of myself, yeah.

Q. You just said you had more time to practice this year on grass. What sectors of your game in particular did you work on? Do you see any results of all this work?

IGA SWIATEK: I would say we mainly focused on my movement and how I should stop before hitting the ball. Also, just on fast hands because obviously it's important here not to, like, stop the movements, even though the ball sometimes is fast, and the serve.

Q. How much admiration do you have for your next opponent, who 15 months ago had a baby daughter, dropped down the rankings, but has now managed to get into the semifinals of Wimbledon?

IGA SWIATEK: Admiration means?

Q. Admiration, sort of respect or credit.

IGA SWIATEK: A lot of respect. I can only imagine how hard it is to come back after pregnancy. Yeah, we practiced on the first event this year on United Cup, but it already seems like she's ready to be back in the rhythm.

Obviously she needed also some time to play some matches and schedule it carefully after such break. For sure she has the game to play well here on grass.

Yeah, I never doubted that she can't come back after pregnancy. She seems like she's in a good mood and she's playing well.

Q. Today there were a few moments where it looked like maybe your opponent was coming back into it. There were some changes of momentum, but you were able to stay calm. How important has that been, and is that something you've been conscious of?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, obviously if your opponent is winning two games in a row and is breaking you back, you need to change something 'cause you can't let her keep winning.

So I just know that what I need to do and I try to focus on that. Yeah, it's not easy having a break up and then losing it, but she also knows how to play. It's not like I should take it for granted and expect that I'm going to win easy, because for sure it's not the case.

Yeah, anytime the momentum changes, you just need to get back to work and do something better. That's it.

Q. I remember a couple years ago when you weren't feeling as comfortable on grass. When we asked you about having won juniors here before, you said, yeah, but the conditions were different, and it didn't really count the same as grass. Now that you're in the Wimbledon semifinal, do you think you were just good on grass all along and just were in denial about it?

IGA SWIATEK: I didn't lose on purpose to prove that I'm bad (smiling).

Q. It seems like you've done a lot of good things on grass throughout...

IGA SWIATEK: I for sure feel like all these years on grass helped. It's not like I would win the pro tournament with my junior game, so for sure I needed some time to, like, learn and to just get better.

And yeah, I was saying from the beginning that this year that I won juniors was super hot. The grass was already not a grass. It was more clay, you know. So it was a bit easier than I remember playing first round next year against Golubic. The grass was so long. It was totally different, like a totally different tournament.

Yeah, winning junior Grand Slam is great, but you need to keep working.

Q. Do you think maybe you're more comfortable in second-week conditions where there's more grass worn away?

IGA SWIATEK: I don't know because I haven't played a lot of second weeks (smiling).

Q. Would you like to hear another record?

IGA SWIATEK: You're going to tell me anyway, so just shoot.

Q. You're the first Polish player in the Open Era to make the women's singles semifinals in all four Grand Slams. What does that mean to you?

IGA SWIATEK: Means a lot (smiling). Well, I don't know. I would just repeat my answer from yesterday or, like, two days ago.

Well, I'm just happy. I'll try and go for more.

Q. You mentioned about it being a hot year when you won in juniors. I know the weather can really affect how the grass feels beneath your feet. It has been a relatively hot, dry Wimbledon this time. Has that helped you from the start feel a little bit surer of your footing, less worried about injury?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, it was hot for first two days and then it was raining. I wouldn't say it was completely constant, like the weather.

But when you just play well, I guess at the end it doesn't matter. When you play bad, you look at these things, and you try to explain to yourself why was it different or something.

I don't know. I just adjusted well to any conditions that I had this year on the tournament. I had the same in Bod Hamburg. It was also sometimes hot, sometimes like 20 degrees and a little bit humid.

Yeah, no point to overthink that.

Q. Because of previous experiences, both good and bad here at Wimbledon, do you feel a sense of unfinished business? Is that your motivation, your driver?

IGA SWIATEK: Hmmm... I haven't thought about it that way 'cause I would have unfinished business kind of everywhere, every year.

For sure I'm just happy that the work that I've been doing, I can use it now. That was my goal this year, because I saw how I can play on practice courts. I was just not sure if I can do it on the match court. I kind of already did. I'm going to try to continue that.

But unfinished business? Like, I don't know. You know, guys, that I'm not that kind of person that, Oh, this year I'm going to win. I don't set goals like that. I kind of work just with what I have in front of me and that's it. I don't have any thought.

Q. Have you been reading anything?

IGA SWIATEK: I've been reading. I started some fiction book by Elena Ferrante. I'm probably going to finish it because it's short, yeah.