THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2026

Iga Swiatek

Press Conference

I. SWIATEK/T. Townsend

6-1, 2-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Sum up the match for us today, please.

IGA SWIATEK: Well, for sure, you know, it's not easy to come back as a defending champion, so I'm happy that I got through the match. I feel like first and third set I played really solid and really good.

In second, there were some tricky moments, for sure, but I'm happy that I went through them and worked through them so I could be back on the third set playing better.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. The emotions at the end of the match felt like a great release. Curious what went into that, and now having let some of those emotions out, if you feel maybe lighter in the last few hours?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think the whole process of opening the court and playing as a defending champion is for sure really emotional. Last year probably the most amazing thing in my tennis career happened here. So I felt it also today.

But, you know, it was a mix of different emotions. Overall, I'm happy that I got the win, and I can have another chance to play on this court.

Q. Can you just explain maybe what went on from the second set with your serve? Because it looked like at some point you just lost timing completely. Did you go through it, pinpoint why it tends to happen more often lately?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think overall, maybe I am, like, sometimes more tense, and it's not easy to get rid of that. You can sometimes see on the serve, the quality goes down. But, like, I think you can see that in many players, because serve is like the most complicated motion. It's easy to mess it up a little bit.

But, you know, for me, the most important thing is that I served better in the third set, that I got through this. I know what I did wrong a little bit, so I'll try to, you know, have just more clarity in these moments to try to reset again and try to, you know, serve with the quality that I have on practice and that I also had at the beginning of the match.

Q. You mentioned on the court that your third-set record hasn't been great this year. Was that something that was playing on your mind and something you felt you needed to break through, in a way?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, maybe I had, like, I thought about it at some point, but, you know, there is no time on court to think about stuff like that. I just wanted to, yeah, for sure change that, because this is the time, you know. I mean, any match is important, but for sure if I want to do it, I want to do it now.

So I just felt that maybe it wasn't so easy for me to accept that I was losing some sets this year, especially that some of them just slipped out of my hands a little bit, you know.

But today I had more calm in the third to overcome this and I knew how to play, so I really leaned on that. It was great, because yeah, I could overcome this and win the third.

Q. How much do you think with the serve it's a kind of technical thing versus psychological thing?

IGA SWIATEK: It's tennis. It's all combined.

Q. Just on that, as well, how emotional was it having, your dad and sister were here today? Did that make it an even more special, more emotional occasion?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, overall, if more people come sometimes on some tournaments, I feel a little bit that there are some expectations. But it's not the case this time, because only two people came, for sure the most important for me, because the closest people for me.

But I don't feel like it was pressure, because they know, you know, how I feel. Especially my sister, I feel like she understands quite a lot. I know that they are there to support me.

They also wanted to get the whole experience with being in the Royal Box. It doesn't happen often to have a chance to be there, so I'm happy they could experience that, and I know it was quite stressful for them even as well.

So, yeah, I'm happy that the day finished in a positive way and that they also enjoyed.

Q. First set you hit 11 winners, only four unforced errors. Second set was the other way around. I know you have been fighting this for a while, but how frustrating is it when you can play at such high level, then it drops. What process is it you're trying to do to overcome that?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, I think I had trouble at the beginning of the year to accept that, you know. And this day, today, I felt like it doesn't really matter, because, you know, I have a third set coming up. I can't really think about all these mistakes.

I know I have this game with me, so I just needed to be more sharp and maybe not, like, keep my margins bigger, not take too much risk.

I also felt like at the beginning of the second set, Taylor kind of pushed a little harder and she went to the net, like, more successfully comparing to some volleys that she missed in the first set.

So it's not like -- there are always two people playing. You know, if she wouldn't push, maybe I wouldn't make these mistakes.

I felt like at the end of the second set it was more even game. It's not like I was playing stupid or something.

So I had something to be positive about, and I went into the third set, like, knowing that, okay, now we start from the beginning. I'm not going to let the match, the set go to, like, 0-3. And it probably will be a bit easier if I start well.

Q. Speaking of Taylor, knowing the kind of player she is, tricky opponent, first round on grass, do you think that added at all to the stress and pressure and therefore the relief at having won the match?

IGA SWIATEK: Well, on one hand, obviously it's a bigger challenge, knowing you need to be ready from the first round to play, you know, like, at least, I don't know, 80%, 90% of your level, you know.

She's a player that really feels the grass, I would say. I don't know. That's what I felt from my side.

But on one hand, you know, it's a pressure because you need to be ready. But on the other hand, you need to accept that she can also play good and it's going to be a tight match. It's not like everything is on you, because she can also have some great points.

So that takes the pressure a little bit away from you.

Q. Just talk about your father and your sister. I wonder how special for you to be defending champion to play the first match on second day on Centre Court.

IGA SWIATEK: Of course it's super special. I already actually had a chance to do that after Ash retired. I played because I was No. 1.

But it felt different this time around. You feel like, I don't know, a lot of people are waiting for this match, and it's all coming back, coming up to have this moment on this court and play this match, which feels strange, because it's just a tennis match on the other hand.

But that's what Wimbledon is about, a little bit. And I really wanted everyone to enjoy it, and I wanted to enjoy it, which is obviously not easy, because playing tennis is sometimes tough.

But at the end, I'm happy that it ended that way, and I'm happy that my family was there.