ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2026

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/E. Jones

6-1, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Iga, congratulations. First rounds are never easy. Can you talk us through your thoughts on your performance today?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, you know, I'm really happy with the way I played. It was a solid match from the beginning to the end. I technically knew how to play, so I just did it, and it was a good day, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. I'm trying to understand more about the movement of sliding, which comes very naturally to you. Can you tell me what it feels like to have a good slide?

IGA SWIATEK: I guess it's just a matter of, like, stopping in the right moment, and also, like, transferring the energy from your moving to the ball, because you don't want to, like, stop and then hit. You want to do it, like, smoothly in the same movement, kind of.

Yeah, but I guess also you need to keep your balance in the right position, don't lean back, don't lean forward. I guess many things have to come together to have a good slide, but we don't think about it, you know.

Q. I suppose, yeah, thinking about it is the next step that you eliminate when you become so natural, but what's the difference between a good slider and an excellent one?

IGA SWIATEK: I don't know. Maybe how you recover from these positions and what kind of shots you can play when you're sliding. You know, if you still have control over the ball or is it more that you're sliding because you're in such defense that you have no other option.

So I guess just a variety of the shots you can have while sliding.

Q. You are the same age, I believe, as Emerson when you made your Roland Garros debut?

IGA SWIATEK: She's 17? I didn't. I was a year older.

Q. Year older. Sorry. What do you remember being the biggest changes personally or as a player from that year to of course the following Roland Garros where you went all the way? Quite a significant change.

IGA SWIATEK: Sorry, I was thinking if I was 17 or... Let me listen to your question one more time, because I had birthday during the tournament. Okay. Whatever.

Q. Then obviously the following Roland Garros was later. What do you remember being the biggest changes from that debut experience at Roland Garros to the following edition which you obviously won?

IGA SWIATEK: Oh, honestly, until I won, there weren't many changes, because in 2020, it's not like I came to the tournament knowing that I'm going to win, you know. I feel like in 2019 I already played junior tournament, so I already kind of knew the vibe of the whole event, but obviously it's different playing at a pro level. I was just trying to do the best result possible with the game that I had.

But next year, you know, maybe the difference was that, I don't know, every match I felt like I'm playing better and better, and I really, you know, felt like I'm, like my game is fitting these courts, and I don't know, I just, match by match, I thought maybe I can go one more. I had many more belief, you know.

But in 2019 I also played quite good. I remember I was a bit injured, but then with Simona, obviously she beat me pretty hard. It was heartbreaking, but it was a lesson that I had to learn. She was playing her best game back then. For sure, without that loss, I wouldn't play much better next year, you know. That's the story.

Q. It's super hot out there. Maybe it's the hottest you have ever played at this tournament. I wonder if you could just explain to me the differences between the way the court plays when it's hot like it is today, the speed of the court, the bounce, maybe the way the clay feels under your feet compared to, like, a cool and cloudy day. Is it significantly different, in your opinion? If so, how?

IGA SWIATEK: Yes, it is much different. Maybe it was that hot on the Olympics, but the balls were different, so I wouldn't treat it as the same tournament.

Yeah, when we came here, it was like 16 degrees and the ball was super heavy. You literally could put your whole body and whole power into the ball, and you would still feel like you control it.

Now you need much more, like, touch, and you can't go too much. Also, like, it's a bit easier to play higher and with spin. The ball is bouncing off the court faster, so that gives you more advantage, I would say.

But first you need to, yeah, have control over the ball, because it is playing faster in the air, and it's easier to put it out.

Q. You have mostly been quite good at closing out matches. Wonder if there is anything you do, like what do you focus on? What's your routine when you get sort of to the final game and the final points? What are you thinking?

IGA SWIATEK: Nothing in particular. I guess honestly it all depends on the match, because if it's a tight match, my thoughts will be totally different than, you know, 6-1, 5-2. It depends, you know.

Q. If it's a tight match, what are you focused on?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I try not to really think about the score, because it could make you a bit more tight. You don't want to change your game because it's 5-All or something. You want to maybe make good decisions and not over think stuff.

So maybe I would focus on technique and, you know, usually during the match there is one thing that comes up that you didn't do perfectly, and if I, you know, maybe focus to make it better, then I can do that at the end of the set, you know.

Maybe I would think a little bit about the technique, or maybe I would just have a clearer plan after these ten games and know, like, okay, I think she missed many forehand returns, so I would think about my tactics plan a bit more.

Yeah, but I can't tell you. It depends.

Q. I'm not sure if you're aware, but there is a new Rafa documentary coming out this week on Netflix. Will you be watching, firstly?

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah. Honestly, it's a hard topic for us, because Francis told us in Madrid, Hey, there is this Rafa documentary premier, and whole team got ready the night before with outfits and everything. And he was, like, It's on 20th or -- I don't know.

But it was a few days ago, the premier? Francis told us it was a month ago in Madrid. And everybody got ready, and then he said, Oh, I messed up the dates.

I was so sad. Yeah, I'm going to watch it straightaway, unless I play the next day, because I will cry. (Laughter.)

Q. It's four episodes, so you've got time. It's 30-minute episodes, so I think you've got time.

IGA SWIATEK: Yeah, but I might cry on all of them.

But I would love to be on the premier, as well, but I couldn't because of, yeah, a planning mistake.

Q. Obviously your topspin and the way you can play that ball and your kick were game-breaking shots in the women's game when you first came on the scene. A lot of girls didn't know how to face it and compete with it. How have you seen that change over the course of your career in terms of how effective is it? Do you feel players are getting used to it or is it still your game-breaking kind of shot?

IGA SWIATEK: No, I mean, for sure players got used to it. I remember it was all a surprise in 2022, you know. It was quite interesting that next year I felt totally different. I think this is what people say when they say it's harder to stay on the top, because you need to adjust your game so it's not that simple for people anymore. Yeah, they get used to it, for sure, you know.

But on the other hand, I can still make these shots better, so and they still work. It's, like, you know, when I played against Ash, I knew exactly what she's gonna play, but she did it so good that I was still losing these points. I knew exactly that she's gonna slice me to the backhand. I'm gonna try to, you know, pick it up with my backhand topspin and she's gonna finish me with her forehand.

But still, like, I played this one not so good, you know, because her slice was amazing. She played her forehand so well, that I still had no chance, you know.

So I guess even if people know what you're gonna play if you're gonna do it good, then you might win, you know.