US OPEN

August 23, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

An interview with:

IGA SWIATEK

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome back to New York. Your thoughts ahead of the tournament start after a great run in Cincy.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure I feel really a positive vibe after this tournament, because in Cincinnati I feel like my tennis really progressed match by match. So just happy to be here and excited for the US Open.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I'm curious what the last 72 hours have been like. When you got here you had to really hit the ground running. To process Cincinnati and practice...

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure, that was probably the weirdest turnaround between tournaments I ever had. It was super rushed and quick.

But I'm really happy that I got the chance to play mixed doubles. It was amazing. I got days off after, so I think that was a necessity and a smart thing to do before a long tournament.

So all good, and yeah, it was totally worth it. The mixed doubles was amazing.

Q. You won Wimbledon obviously, not as an underdog, but people maybe didn't have as high expectations of you. Now having won that, in great form, there are a lot of expectations. Does it matter for you the level of expectations whether you come in as a favorite? Do you like being the favorite or do you prefer to go under the radar a bit?

IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, I already think it doesn't make sense to call anyone the favorite. Women's tennis, I wouldn't say it's unpredictable because there are some girls that are constantly in the top and we are proving that we can play well throughout the whole season. But still, like, there are many players that play really good and can win the tournament.

So I got used to the expectations. Obviously after winning so many things, they are always going to be there. So yeah, doesn't matter.

Q. Lists come out in tennis every year, highest-earning tennis players, on and off court, especially endorsements. What do you think when you see those lists and how much they matter to you? Do you think they're accurate or how do you deal with that?

IGA SWIATEK: I have no idea if they are accurate. I got to say I haven't even checked how much I earn. I don't know how they base this on. Most of the contracts are confidential anyway. It's probably a better question to an agent or something.

But what do I think of them? Obviously there is a big difference between men's and women's and what they earn. I guess tennis players, like women tennis players, are usually in the top of the rankings. So for us, I would say because of the all the people that actually made the hardest part of the job before, like Billie Jean King and Venus, addressing the issues, I think were in pretty good position. Yeah, the difference, you can clearly see it.

Yeah, it's not like one person can change it. It's a change that requires, like, probably a lot of commitment and people. So for sure it's something that all the players are thinking about and trying to do while competing in the same time and having things that we really need to focus on.

It's a tricky topic, and hopefully it's going to change moving on.

Q. When you won in Cincinnati you were quick to thank Wim for his work again with you. You have spoken a lot about the dynamic between the two of you. Could you expand a bit more on it? When he has an idea, does he tell you and you say no or do you immediately embrace it and go ahead? How does it work?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I'm a bit stubborn. So if I have a different idea, then I need for sure some persuasion and also I need some proofs. If I'm going to go on court and feel, Oh, yeah, this is actually working and it helps me, then for sure I'll go for it. There's no doubt.

If I need some days of practice, there might be some discussion and everything. So Wim also has to be patient. I think he already knows that and he accept that (smiling).

So it depends, you know. It depends on what the tip is. If it's a big technical change or just a small adjustment, I would say I'm a quick learner. I'm this kind of player that really needs to repeat the new thing from time to time. I think everybody has a technique will sometimes go back to the old habits.

But yeah, everything he said for me made sense, and if it didn't, then we just have to talk more, and he had to explain a bit more. I had to try again and again, and then it started working.

So it depends on the certain situation.

Q. Does he come ready with proof now?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the proof is when I play it and when it works. He has no influence on that. Only I can prove if it's good or bad.

Q. I know you're a pretty voracious reader. Any books you have read this summer you enjoyed and would recommend to others?

IGA SWIATEK: I read The Bee Sting. It was really good. I think it was a bestseller two years ago. That was the one. Now I started a new one. I don't know yet, because I just started.

I watched one episode of Game of Thrones finally. Please, no spoilers. I started finally, yeah.

Q. Wondering, you kind of had a drought without winning a title and now you have won a couple of the faster surfaces you play on. Have there been any technical developments in your game that you think are really helping you now in these faster surfaces compared to the slower ones?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure. We really focused on that. The whole preseason was basically all about that. I already could use some of these new, you know, skills kind of that I learned in Australia.

But later on, I think the season got a bit more complicated from other perspectives, so I wasn't in a really good zone to win the tournaments.

But I would say after Roland Garros I kind of got back to my usual self. And yeah, again, I would say the process of learning all this stuff that I learned in preseason kind of came back, and for sure I used it on Wimbledon and on hard court in Cincinnati. And we'll see what's going to come next.

Q. A question about exhibitions, how different people and players draw a line about what is an exhibition and what isn't. For you, how do you define what makes something an exhibition?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, if it's not an official event...

Q. What does "official" mean?

IGA SWIATEK: Held by WTA or ITF. What are the other answers?

Q. Could be something regarding ranking points, which some events do or don't have. Laver Cup is a men's event but it gets debated on that front.

IGA SWIATEK: Wait. They don't get points for Laver Cup? So they don't treat it as an exhibition?

Q. It's debated. Some people disagree.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, maybe because it's considered like a big thing to win Laver Cup. But I would still I think call it an exhibition, sorry.

Q. It's not offensive.

IGA SWIATEK: I don't know.