Iga Swiatek commented on her victory over Kenin at the start of the Australian Open 2024

In the night of January 16, the world's top-ranked player, Iga Swiatek from Poland, successfully commenced her campaign at the Australian Open 2024.

In the 1/64 finals, the Polish athlete triumphed over Sofia Kenin from the United States, who won the Australian major in 2021, with a score of 7:6, 6:2.

After concluding the match, Iga held a press conference, addressing questions from journalists:

- Iga, it seems that looking at the draw, you might not have wanted to see another Grand Slam winner in the first round. What were your feelings when playing against Sofia?

Certainly, it was not the easiest first round. She played very well. I was trying to find my rhythm, especially in the first set. I'm happy that towards the end of the set, I managed to win the most crucial points. I'm satisfied with taking it and being able to play a bit better in the second set.

- What was the biggest challenge in today's match, and how did you manage to find a solution?

Initially, it was not easy for me to find my rhythm. I felt a bit out of my comfort zone. Probably the temperature was higher than in any match I played this season. I needed to adapt to that. The balls were a bit getting out of control. It's normal in such conditions. I just wanted to move forward and be active and initiative. Probably when I started the second set, it was a bit easier for me to do that.

-This year, the tournament allows fans to move around more during the game. Did you know about this before you started playing? Does it bother you?

Yes, my psychologist told me about it today. It's good that my team knows because they can prepare me for any situation.

I'm not against it. If the referee allows me to wait a bit when they come down the stairs, and it will be normal, then I'm fine with it. Because, yes, I don't like playing when people move behind my opponent.

-Ashleigh Barty left tennis at the peak of her career. She's 27 years old. Would you like her to return to the sport? Do you think she can succeed if she comes back?

I would really like to see her on the court again. But I don't think we can influence her. Of course, she can influence many people. She's a huge inspiration. I fully understand why she stopped. Now she's happy. Let her be happy.

-On the court, you talked about how important Ashley Barty was to you a few years ago. Could you tell us more about how she motivated you?

It was very difficult to lose to her and play against her because, as I said before, you knew in advance how she would play in terms of tactics and court position. She did it so well that you couldn't do anything about it. It annoyed me a lot. I wanted to get better, to be able to act confidently when she played with her slices. I knew that if I worked hard, I could make it.

So yes, she really motivated me. I never managed to beat Ash. She was so that even off the court, I felt that she had some distance from everything that was happening. Yes, of course, she felt a lot of pressure and stress. She was always kind of in her own bubble, in the zone. I respected that a lot.

-Danielle Collins will be your opponent in the second round. You lost to her here in the semi-final in 2022. What do you think about the upcoming match?

I will try to do everything in my power. Danielle is a very good player. We played very tense matches. On the other hand, our last match, judging by the score, was under my control. Let's see, every match is different. I'm not going to predict anything.