US OPEN

August 26, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/E. Arango

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Iga, congratulations. If you would, your thoughts on today's match.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, first matches are always a bit different, so I'm happy that I had some time to just get used to the conditions and the surface, because for sure it's different than the practice courts.

I think it was just a solid match, and so I'm happy that I can play another round here.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Other things were going on around the world while you were playing.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah.

Q. How did you get the news of Taylor Swift's engagement? And what are your thoughts?

IGA SWIATEK: My team showed me on Instagram.

Well, I'm just happy for her, because she deserves the best. Obviously -- what? What's the laugh? She does (smiling).

Obviously she had a lot of boyfriends, so we know all about that. So hopefully this one will, you know, stick forever. Travis seems like a great guy. She seems super happy, so I'm happy for her. I wish them all the best, yeah.

Q. How would you describe the way you follow Taylor Swift?

IGA SWIATEK: What do you mean?

Q. How long have you been a fan, and in what ways do you follow her career?

IGA SWIATEK: Since 2014. Yeah, at the beginning, it was more -- well, I don't know. I just followed everything. You know, I was following her, but also some, like, fan pages to see, like, the updates.

Then when the "Reputation" album came out, I've got to say I didn't really like it that much. I liked the previous albums better. So I had a little break.

But then in 2019 and when "Folklore" and "Evermore" were released during COVID, I started listening to Taylor again. It's great. But I like "Reputation" now. Don't worry.

Q. I was going to ask that question, and I will ask a similar Taylor Swift question. Did you listen to her interview with the Kelce brothers a few weeks ago?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, live.

Q. And what your thoughts about it were?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I was thinking about all that stuff that she said, the Easter eggs, you know. I saw, for example, when she was, like, Oh, this is going to be an album of 12 songs, that's it, no more, I was, like, Girl...

So then people said that there might be like a 13th song, and it was a '90s trend to do that, to do a track at the end.

Yeah, I was laughing at the sourdough, because I was actually at my friends in Cincinnati, and they literally had an obsession about baking sourdough. So it was funny. Because Taylor seems to be doing the same.

Yeah, it was a long interview. I've got say I was waiting mostly to hear about the album, because besides the sourdough, when she was describing The Eras Tour and everything, I knew most of the stuff already, but it's nice that she explained a lot to people that were football fans and were listening to the podcast because the football.

I think she's just great that she can fit everywhere, and I hope people love it obviously. There has been some, you know, hate as well because she was on football matches and she got booed and everything. I don't get it, because she just makes our world better.

Q. Do you like all the different variants of the album?

IGA SWIATEK: If I'm collecting?

Q. Yeah, she releases different album covers and different track lists. Do you collect?

IGA SWIATEK: I haven't preordered yet. I kind of I want to go to the store and buy it there physically. I don't know if there are going to be other ones released, because she does these countdowns on the website. I don't know if she's going to do another one or something.

But maybe next one I'm going to actually preorder, but for sure I want to have the original, the first one, and I'm probably going to go in October to some store and buy it physically.

Q. I agree with you. She does deserve the best. I'm totally with you.

IGA SWIATEK: I didn't get the laugh.

Q. A non-Taylor question. Is that okay?

IGA SWIATEK: No. (Laughter.)

Q. Can you compare your comfort level here on the court and off in New York this year versus previous years? I don't even know. I think you said you weren't comfortable even in '22. But I'm curious how the different years compare and where you are this year with that.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, in 2022 it's not like I played amazing from the beginning. It was probably the toughest slam that I had to overcome a lot of challenges, and I managed to win it.

So, yeah, every year is kind of tough, because New York is just so loud, you know, and it's hard to find that balance off the court. But I've got to say I'm probably good at it compared to other players, so I'm really trying to be in my bubble.

The comfort level, it's hard to describe, because the tournament is so long. You basically are here for three weeks. So obviously it's not going to be the same every day.

I feel, you know, pretty happy with my performance in Cincinnati and trying to get, you know, some confidence from that. Yeah, there are a lot of positive vibes in the team, so it's all good.

Q. Do you stay in the city still?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah.

Q. I wanted to ask you a question about sliding on the hard court. Would you say that the principles you use for the slides you do out there are the exact same as the clay?

IGA SWIATEK: What do you mean, "the principles"?

Q. The techniques, feeling of the slide is pretty much the same as you would slide on clay, just that it's a different surface? What's the difference between the two types of slides? Did you always slide on hard courts, or is that something you had to learn?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I'm not changing anything in terms of the decision or the way I slide, but for sure the slide is going to be different. It's going to be shorter, and you're going to kind of feel the grip more. So, like, the effect is going to be different and it's all about the timing and knowing when exactly you're going to stop.

But in terms of my preparation and me deciding when I'm going to go into slide, I wouldn't say there is much difference between hard court and clay. But on clay you can do these little slides, you know, like that even for the ball that is next to you. Here, there is no need.

Also, on clay you don't need to, like, have so much speed to go into the slide, but here for sure you need to run a bit, because the grip, you have bigger grip, so you're not going to be able to slide when you're walking.

Q. Do you burn out more shoes on the hard courts than on clay?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I don't get to the point where I burn them, because I kind of use new pair every match. So On has to provide a lot, but they're happy about that.

Yeah, I basically, I always want to have the same kind of, like, equipment for the match. That's why I do that. But for sure -- honestly, no, because on clay sometimes it's more slippery. So I would change the shoes even more often.

Obviously they're not, like, broken, like normal people that don't feel the difference, they would be able to play in them for a month. But I feel the difference for me, like, a few centimeters more or less, it's going to make a difference, so I want to have the exact feeling of how I'm going to slide and move.

Q. I think I saw that you commented on the video of Serena and Maria at the Hall of Fame. As a top player, what's it like to kind of see that from two older former rivals? Sometimes it wasn't pretty between them, but to see them come together at the end of their careers...

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, it's great. It's a shame obviously that it didn't happen before when they were on tour together. I just thought that their relationship was so tense that I'm just shocked that they managed to work through it, you know.

I guess if you have good intentions, you can work through everything, you know. So for sure I'm happy to see that. Yeah, I mean, I think having that appreciation from your biggest rival, I think it must be a great feeling. So Maria also deserves that, and Serena, she's great. So they're both great.

I was just happy to see them kind of together, because tennis, I mean, I feel like we all should be kind of united and going towards one goal as players, even though we're competing against each other, and that's one of the examples of that.

Q. You were looking at your phone when you came in. Did people text you in case, thinking maybe Iga doesn't know this yet because you were playing a match?

IGA SWIATEK: No, I texted them. Yeah, I knew already. Yeah, since she posted, I knew.

Q. It was at the time you were playing.

IGA SWIATEK: She posted when I finished. Yeah, maybe that's not a coincidence. I don't know.

Come on. I was ready. (Smiling.)