Iga Swiatek reached the 2nd round at theAustralian Open 2025 after beating the Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-3 6-4. In the next round the Polish player will find the Slovakian Rebecca Sramkova waiting for her.
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At the press conference, the 4-time Slam champion talked about the difficulties of her last months, especially due to the doping-disqualification and the controversies that followed.
Iga analyzed with sincerity the lesson that the positive doping test gave her, underlining how sometimes it is difficult to have control over some aspects of one's life, but that this must be accepted.
"Accepting the fact that sometimes you have no control over some aspects of your life, that that situation can happen and you have to deal with it, is already a big lesson. This will help me in other aspects of life, so I would say it was my biggest learning," explained the Pole.
"It was definitely not the easiest match at the beginning, but I'm happy. I feel like I played better at the end of the second set. I was able to learn from what I did wrong at the beginning, in those moments when she recovered the break from me. I think it was a solid match, I'm happy to have reached the second round.
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I think I've lost only once in the first round, it was at Wimbledon 2019, I wish I hadn't played that tournament so my stats would be perfect! Of course I'm happy to save another debut, it shows that I'm consistent, that I have a lot of confidence in Grand Slams, even from the first match. Then it doesn't matter what happens, but it's nice to have this statistic," she said, analyzing the challenge against Siniakova.
Swiatek also talked about the near absence of teenagers in the top 100: "The only difference I see between now and five years ago is that the players who are at the top are more consistent. Maybe, if you have us in the draw, there is less chance of suddenly falling in the early rounds. It's hard to say, I would have to do another analysis, but the transition from junior to pro is always difficult. My transition was quite smooth, that's true, so I can't say much about my experience, because others had a more complicated path."
On coaching, Swiatek has an opposite opinion to Aryna Sabalenka, revealing: "I think it's much more comfortable, since now we can use coaching, even if we just need it. This coaching rule is much better on smaller courts, because if you play in a big stadium it's impossible to hear your coach. That's why it makes even more sense that these chairs are so close, finally it makes sense. I like it, it's our choice whether to use it or not. If you have good communication with your coach, then it can work."
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On her preparation for the Australian Open, the Pole explained: "In general, the preparation has changed a little bit because I have a different coach, and that was enough of a change. Of course, we are working a little bit differently, but that always happens when you change coaches. In the last few years I made the mistake of not having a sparring partner, so this season I have one in my team, also in this tournament.
I wouldn't even say that my preparation in the last few years has been bad, it's just that I felt that my level was decreasing during the tournament, but it's hard to say why. I have to keep my expectations low, just focus on working and improving every day. For sure this is not the easiest surface for me, but I have to keep rowing and fighting for every ball."
