AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2026

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Iga, welcome back to Melbourne. Can you let us know how your preparations have been over the last couple weeks leading into the tournament.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I had a really solid, you know, couple of days training here. The tournament in Sydney for sure gave me a lot of energy. I'm happy to be back. Yeah, I had fun.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Knowing that Naomi Osaka and Rybakina could be in your path, have you adjusted your strategy for the first week, make any adjustments in your energy that you put?

IGA SWIATEK: I'm not looking at the draw, so thanks for the heads-up.

No, it's not a joke. I'm literally not doing that. So please don't spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match.

No, because I didn't know. That's it.

Q. A draw that already finished, how do you reflect on your 1 Point Slam experience? You took out a couple of guys. When you stepped out there and played Cobolli, really kicked the thing off, you were out there full power. How was that experience for you? Would you do it again?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, I mean, with Frances, didn't have to do much. I kind of put pressure on him off the court when we were waiting (smiling).

No, I mean, it was great. I think it was so much fun. Honestly, like, everybody was watching. Like also off the court, everybody said they were so, like, emotional about it, you know?

It's fun. It's something new, refreshing. I think this is what tennis sometimes needs, to put the events out like that. Yeah, playing against Flavio was super fun. Honestly, I like to play against guys. I already could do that in some mixed doubles. Here, I felt like I need to really push him. When he would have a chance to open the court, I would be nowhere there.

Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance.

Q. Will you play next year?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, if I get invited. I hope.

Q. Can I ask you how much, like, the career slam plays into your goals, your thinking? Was it on your mind as you were on the plane coming over here?

IGA SWIATEK: I think you guys are thinking more about it. I can hear that.

No, I mean, honestly since the beginning of the year, there are many people coming to me and talking to me about it. I'm really just focusing on, like, day-by-day work. This is how it's always been for me. This is how I actually was able to achieve the success that I already have, just focusing really on grinding, match by match.

Winning a Grand Slam is tough. Like a lot of things have to come together to do that. Yeah, it's a tough tournament. So I have, like, no expectations.

Obviously it would be a dream come true. This is not, like, my clear goal that I wake up with. I'm thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve, like, day by day.

Q. Obviously quite a while working with Wim now. I remember you talking sort of at the start of your relationship about variety, how that was a big part of your game at the start of your career, maybe bringing a bit of that back. How would you describe your game style right at the moment in terms of that balance between aggression and variety, how you see your game right now?

IGA SWIATEK: I think I can do both. On most of matches it's only about the quality that you bring. For sure, there are days where I feel like, I don't know, in defense I can be like a wall and play everything back, but sometimes I'm missing the easy shots, or the opposite.

Honestly, in tennis it's for me hard to, like, describe how it is overall I guess because sometimes it's changing, like, day by day. You need to adjust to that and always be ready.

I don't want to be said that I'm an offensive player or a defensive player. Honestly, if you want to be at the top, you need to have both.

I think with the variety, it's something that I still have some potential with. Like, I can use more slice, I can go in the net much, much more. I've been doing that, yeah, more, but sometimes I'm still kind of rusty or I'm using more of my patterns instead of searching for something new.

For sure Wim is encouraging me to do that. On the other hand it's not like we always have time to practice this stuff. So then I'm also not so sure if I should use it on the match because, you know, usually between the tournaments you just work on something that wasn't working from your, like, basic game. In the pre-season, you have time to try some new stuff. Still it's only like three weeks, for me at least.

It's a tricky topic. I think if I would have, like, six months off, I would honestly learn a lot. But since I always need to prepare for a tournament, I kind of go with what I have and just try to improve that as much as possible week by week.

Q. I'm asking a few players about jet lag. Obviously we're aware of issues you had from taking melatonin to try and combat that. How has it affected you this year? What techniques you have done...

IGA SWIATEK: The case?

Q. To come off of jet lag.

IGA SWIATEK: How it is now?

Q. Yeah.

IGA SWIATEK: This year?

Q. Yeah. When you arrived in Australia, how it affects you now.

IGA SWIATEK: I'm totally fine with jet lag in Australia since I'm always coming from, like, dark, sometimes gray Europe in November or December. Like just waking up with having sun outside honestly is the best cure for jet lag.

In Australia I honestly feel always fine. I think the worst jet lag is in China. Also because you're tired of the season, you know? But the rest is fine because when we go to U.S., it's also easy because you just wake up earlier.

It's kind of nice honestly for someone like me who's waking up at, like, 10 or 11, to suddenly wake up at 6 a.m. and I'm happy about that.

When I get home, it's tough, but I don't play tournament then so no one cares. I mean, I care, but the world doesn't care.

Q. I was wondering if you got a chance to watch the sequel to the Wicked movie and what your thoughts were about it?

IGA SWIATEK: I did. I think it was great. I think for someone who don't know the story of the Wizard of Oz, I think it's kind of confusing, because honestly I was with friends, and one of them didn't watch the Wizard of Oz - I know - and she was like, What?

I think it was a tricky topic, like, combining all the stuff that happened in the Wizard of Oz to Wicked. I think they did a really good job. I really liked how Ariana played this kind of deeper moments at the end, how you can see she's evolving.

Cynthia Erivo is also amazing. For sure, like, she's the one to play that lead role. Honestly, yeah, I really liked it. I really liked also that she can kind of sing with anyone on the crew, no matter who it was. Her voice always, like, matched the other voice perfectly. Cynthia's, I mean. I really enjoyed that.

Next time I'm going to watch by myself, though, because my friends were talking all the time. I couldn't focus.

Q. Did you see the musical when you were in New York?

IGA SWIATEK: I didn't see it yet, because I wanted to watch the movie. But I will for sure I think in London I'll go.

Q. You set up your foundation last year. How special is that to give something back? As a bit of a side benefit, a grounding to escape a lot of the noise and the chatter around career Grand Slams, getting to No. 1?

IGA SWIATEK: No, that has nothing to do with it 'cause I honestly was planning to do that for years, since 2022 literally.

I think it's also, like, a thing for me, because I'm doing something off the court that actually can help others that matters. I think since I started earning, like, big money, I honestly was kind of confused because -- I mean, happy obviously -- but confused in a way that it wasn't like that always. It's not like we always had money for me to continue.

I know what kind of trouble can, like, young athletes face. I just wanted to use my resources, both financially and also in terms of the experience of my team, to help them maybe go over some obstacles.

I think, I mean, not the biggest, but pretty big country. We could have more great athletes. I think at some point, like, most of them face some obstacles they can't really hop over.

Hopefully this will also give some example to other people that we should invest more, like, private money in sports, because in Poland it's pretty hard to get sponsor. Like someone has to be really passionate I guess to help. It's not like tennis is such a popular sport.

So yeah, also in many sports, like track and field, literally athletes need to work besides doing their athlete stuff to live.

I think it could be a bit better. Because being an athlete is a tough job. Also it gives a lot to other people. It's inspiring for other people. So I wish they could just focus on that and be the G.O.A.T.s in their areas.

Q. I was curious about how you digested the United Cup. I'm sure it was a great feeling to win a title for Poland. It must have felt different to be really happy about the result but maybe feel like you could have done better personally. How did you evaluate that?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, for sure losing singles is always not a good feeling. But on the other hand, I also had United Cup where I won all the singles, and we still lost. I was really just trying to appreciate the moment and have the opportunity to, like, be happy with the title, because at the end this is a team event.

Also, what happened off the court, like having good atmosphere, like having good bond between the players is a big part of that. At least I just told myself that maybe I could contribute a little bit with that if I didn't get the points playing tennis.

So, yeah, I was really happy about it. I honestly had a lot of fun. Last time I had this fun after winning was after Wimbledon. So it's been some time.

I think it's a great thing for Polish tennis. Hopefully it's going to be remembered.

Q. Just looking at these matches you've played so far this year, I'm just wondering what your assessment of where your game is at at the moment of starting this Australian Open? Are you satisfied? Have you identified what needs to be 'fixed'?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, the Sydney matches weren't, like, the smoothest ones. It wasn't like an easy start. I think I still need to, you know, I don't know, work on some stuff. I could play better. That's what I want to say, I guess (smiling).

Overall I think it's also going to be about the mentality and if I'm going to be able to go on court and just enjoy playing and give this extra energy, kind of not something I can, like, describe, but just bring the intensity and be there every point and not really care if I'm going to make some mistakes or something will not work. Just go forward and try to push.

So I'm working on all of this stuff. Hopefully, yeah, it's going to be fine. But I wouldn't say I played my best game in Sydney.