AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 22, 2026

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/M. Bouzkova

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Well done on the win. What did you have to do well today to get past Marie?

IGA SWIATEK: I think against her you always need to be solid and really disciplined because you need to finish the rally quite a few times. She's good in defense.

I think, yeah, that's what I did today. I put pressure from the beginning, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Taylor Fritz mentioned yesterday that because of the shorter off-season, the toughness of the schedule, maybe more players are starting the season not feeling as fresh as past seasons. How are you feeling physically?

IGA SWIATEK: No, physically I feel good. But for sure the schedule is packed. There's not much time to, like, reset completely. It's kind of impossible. So, it feels like there's no, like, beginning of the season and end of the season 'cause honestly, like for people that work physically for 11 months basically, getting 10 days without the racquet, it's not enough time to reset.

I mean, that's what I got. Because for four days you're still thinking about the season. Last days you already think about the preparation for the next one.

So, for sure, he's right that the schedule is packed and the season is longer and longer. But I guess everybody knows that already.

Q. The mental difficulties with unplugging in the time you do have off, are there strategies you do? Do you plan things at home to get your mind off of it or...

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the thing is that when you're playing well, you also have a lot of stuff to do off the court. It's not like you're just a tennis player. If you're going to play tennis well, you are going to be kind of a celebrity. You know, bigger or smaller, you can choose that.

But there's a lot of stuff to do, as well. It's not like we finish tournament and that's it. So I guess you need to find balance with that, as well, because you also want to be fulfilled in that part of your career.

Then obviously find, yeah, proper time to rest and have good time off. For example, sometimes when I come back to Warsaw, it's not like I have a break after the tournament because I have so much stuff to do that I just don't do during the tournaments that I really need to catch up.

Yeah, but, I guess, this is what you need to do. You're good to succeed at this level. It's not easy but it's necessary.

Q. During the year, when you're playing 10 months consistently, in between tournaments how do you escape from that briefly?

IGA SWIATEK: I wouldn't say I did that well. Actually it's my goal for this year, I don't know, to even go somewhere and just rest and not do anything because I tend to, yeah, do other stuff, like off-court obligations. Obviously there are stuff that needs to be done. I also take quite a lot on my shoulders.

My goal for this season is actually to, like, unplug a bit better. Hopefully I'm going to have more energy till the end of the season. I got to say that because of COVID, I didn't really get the experience of playing the full seasons.

I think 2024, I couldn't as well. Last year was kind of the first one. Because before I was either injured in 2019, the COVID started in 2020. So last year was the first season I got to play from the beginning till the end. It's for sure something to learn from.

Q. Talking specifically about your match today, net performance was strong. Talking about your play at the net, using that as a tactic.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, at some point I had to go to the net and finish the points there because she is good in defense. She's going to bring the next ball back. She's running pretty far from the baseline, as well. Not easy to play a winner.

I'm happy that I went to the net. We kind of knew that it's going to be necessary at some point. Also practiced a little bit more volleys yesterday. I felt confident there.

Q. How have you been spending your off days?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, last days, honestly was focusing on practicing. Got a bit, I don't know if you can hear that or not, a bit ill. I just wanted to, yeah, get back in a good shape. Didn't do much honestly. Couldn't.

Q. Do you drink a lot of tea when you're sick?

IGA SWIATEK: When I'm home, yeah. I would need to go to the store here, so I kind of passed on that. But I like tea.