WTA FINALS

October 31, 2025

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome back to Riyadh. How have your preparations been? How exciting it is to play here in front of the fans again?

IGA SWIATEK: I'm happy that I was able to come here a little bit earlier. I think I was the second player to be here. Gave me some time to prepare to totally different conditions than what we have on most of the tournaments during the year.

For sure it's tricky, but every day is better. I feel like, yeah, for sure was a good decision to come here a little bit earlier. Hopefully I'm going to be able to show that on my matches.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Winning Wimbledon, surprising many people, maybe including yourself, how would you assess your season overall?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, probably season was like with most ups and downs in terms of the results, sometimes how I felt playing tournaments. I think I learned a lot. Even though you could feel that I'm, like, already an experienced player, I had some challenges this year that really were kind of new and I needed to adjust to them a little bit more.

Also I think it was the first year when I didn't feel like I'm still young. That was also a different feeling (smiling).

Overall I think winning Wimbledon made this season already super special and amazing. I would just put it over anything else, I would say. Then playing great in Cincinnati and winning Seoul, as well, I was happy to play these tournaments, feel free with my game.

It was a tricky season, but at the end I can say a good one.

Q. You're the youngest player to qualify for the singles here at the WTA Finals in 12 years. Do you think sometimes people forget that you're 24 years old?

IGA SWIATEK: What do you mean?

Q. Qualify five straight years for the Final in singles. Do you think people forget that you're 24?

IGA SWIATEK: Even I forget (smiling). Sometimes I feel like I'm 40 already.

No, for sure the life on tour is intense. All the seasons are super intense. It's easy to forget how young I am, as well. I don't know, I feel like I've just been on tour for 10 years. Actually it's been six. It's been just really busy, also efficient. This is something that I'm happy about.

But yeah, I am still young, so there's a lot to change and improve in my game. It's always good to find that perspective at the end, especially before the pre-season or before some periods of time when you have a bit more practice.

Q. You've become well-known for your Nadal style prematch warm-ups. I know you are a very big fan of Rafa. How much has he influenced you as a player in terms of your game style, your mentality and attitude to training?

IGA SWIATEK: I think the mentality and attitude to training were the things that I could really take from him because obviously he's a man and he's always going to have, like, different game style. We can't copy. Also you need to be really raised tennis-wise in a proper way to play really the same game style and everything. Obviously the tennis is different.

What I took from Rafa is, yeah, the way he never gave up. I could actually see it on some matches. I have some, like, flashes in my head where I'm, Well, there's no chance I'm going to win this match, there's no chance I can improve and change the momentum.

I actually saw him doing that sometimes. It gives me belief in myself a little bit more.

Yeah, honestly I really miss Rafa. I've been watching some video randomly. I'm like I wish I could see this live again. Glad I just had a chance to play tennis maybe at the same time as him, so I could experience it and find some inspiration.

For sure he inspired me the most from all the people in the world, yeah.

Q. You were one of the first ones that arrived here. How is the experience in Ad-diriyah and Saudi so far and this tournament?

IGA SWIATEK: It was great. I kind of knew the place because that's I think where the photo shoot happened last year. Yeah, going there just as a tourist and sightseeing a little bit was super nice. Also there was a bit more nature there than around the site or the hotel. I really enjoyed that. A lot of good restaurants, as well.

I think, yeah, if you go to Riyadh, this is the place where you should go to for some social life. Yeah, it was a good day, for sure.

Q. How do you feel since you've been here early enough the conditions and the feel of the court, how it's playing? Do you feel like tactics is more important than technique or vice versa?

IGA SWIATEK: So I think the technique is more important because even without tactics, if you really play well and you hit your spots and you're confident with your shots, you can still win the match. I would always kind of start with that.

On the other hand, if you really want to beat this one player and you prepare for this one player for some time, you analyze the game, you have the perfect tactics, yeah, you can really use it and just win the match.

It depends. I think short-term tactically you can do a lot, but long-term with good technique it will give you more.

Q. And the conditions?

IGA SWIATEK: I think the court is pretty fast. The ball is bouncing I think more because of the altitude. The altitude I think is the thing that players will think about the most 'cause it's super high here, so the ball flies in the air much, much more.

Q. Looking back on your season with Wim, can you point to the biggest change in your game, whether that's strategy, something technical, the mentality off the court?

IGA SWIATEK: I think technically for sure the way I played on faster surfaces, the way I handled sometimes faster balls that were an issue for me in previous seasons. This was something that I felt improved totally.

Also the speed of the serve. I don't know, I think I was in some kind of a ranking of fifth or something in aces this year. That's impossible (smiling). But my serve improved. I would love for my percentage to always be consistent. That's the next goal. Now at least I know that I can serve those speeds and serve a lot of aces, as well, get some free points.

I think these two things went really great. Honestly, this was my goal, so...

Q. Are you often looking at the stats?

IGA SWIATEK: No, no, no. He is, though. That's his job. I'm more looking at my feeling. Sometimes honestly it's the opposite of what the stats say. That's why you need both of these perspectives, I would say.

Q. On a scale of zero to the coolest thing, where does it rank getting Taylor Swift's album directly to you?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the coolest thing for sure. There doesn't have to be one coolest thing. I mean, it's amazing. Getting the note was surreal. I didn't cry, though, when I got the note on the show. When I was seeing her on the stage, I cried twice. This time I was more just appreciating it and enjoying the album, because it's amazing, yeah.

Thank you.