Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/I. Swiatek

6-2, 4-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Elina, what a battle. You beat a two-time champion here. Just your thoughts on the performance.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it was a good day for me. I played really well. I mean, I wouldn't say it was the perfect match, but in a way, I could stay in the match and fight and find a way after losing second set.

But, yeah, definitely very happy with the performance overall.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Well played. A massive win. Seemed like you came out really aggressive. Is that, in your mind and based on your experience, is that the way you have to play against Iga?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it's not only against her, but I think just generally trying to be more aggressive, trying to go for my shots. There is no champion who is waiting for the mistakes, and you have to really try to set up yourself in a good position to attack.

Yeah, I was feeling good. I was trying to really, you know, open up the court and try to take the advantage, because Iga is such an aggressive player, and she moves really well. So if you don't, in the right time, you don't take the opportunity, she's gonna take it. So, yeah.

Q. Every day is a different day, of course. How can you explain your constant intensity since the beginning of the season? Is there something you changed during the preseason, maybe something?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, of course I put some work into my game, you know, and worked on a few tactical things, you know. Really looked on some statistics on the court that worked, and what didn't work I think it was important for me to see with my own eyes. Sometimes, of course, the feeling and what you see can be different.

That's why, you know, I have my team there to really, you know, give me all this information, and then I had time to work on few things, yeah, on the serve, on the return, and generally just everything.

Because we are in such a high level, you know, all these, like, small differences, small adjustments, they work, and that's what makes the difference between, like, being consistent and, you know, having good week here and there.

Q. It looked to me in the third set, you changed your tactic a little bit. Did you try to change something in the third set?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I tried to be more consistent, definitely, because, you know, in the second set, I think made few mistakes here and there, didn't take my opportunity in the right way.

I had to stay aggressive. I wouldn't say that I changed something massively, but tried to really open up the court and tried to, yeah, just work with the ball a little bit.

It's high risk when you just go for it flat, so of course, you know, putting a little bit of spin here and there was, for me, important, important just to try to take the small chances that Iga gave me.

Q. Reflecting back, you were speaking about your offseason, working on small details of your game, would you say it's kind of the same trend that you've had building in the last couple of years, like looking for ways to be more aggressive? Is that what most of the stuff has been about for you? What is the process like? How do you originate these conversations? Does your coach just bring you videos and bring you new ideas and then you consider them, or is it just stuff you know is happening that you're thinking about already?

ELINA SVITOLINA: No, my coach is bringing me the videos and the content from matches and working also with the statistics team that bringing, you know, the content. Then we go together through, you know, things that we see that is highlighted.

And for me, yeah, it's important to find, you know, the small edges where I can improve my game. Because obviously, you know, I'm playing good, but, you know, I want to be even more consistent. I want to win, you know, easier also the matches sometimes.

Yeah, it's those small edges that you want to, you know, to get better at. Yeah, it's one of the things that we worked on. Yeah, I feel like it's helped me to see a little bit my game a bit different. Yeah, just clicked, a few things.

But, I mean, I didn't start the year, I would say, at my very best at the beginning. I mean, I worked my way in and playing in Auckland, trying to get a few matches here and there, because I didn't play for, like, three months since I finished the year in September.

Yeah, I think it's just came together slowly, and yeah, here we have the results. Yeah, I want to push more, I want to go for even better.

Q. You mentioned the three months maybe you decompressed a little bit and feel a little fresher physically. Was that also part of the success you're having? 19-3 so far this year.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, definitely. The time that I took, firstly mentally, made a big difference for me, because I was overwhelmed. I was just tired, drained completely.

Also, I, like, maybe put maybe too much pressure on myself, but also, you know, with everything that I have on my plate is quite a lot, as well.

So sometimes, you know, it's important to take a little bit of time off, and sometimes, you know, like I did, helped me to really, you know, let go everything and start again from zero. I didn't play for one month.

I did some physical stuff, some fitness to improve, like, little things, prevention. And then slowly started to do again the specific work for the court and then was back on court with my coach and the team.

So this definitely, I think, refreshed my mind massively, because after being too much and too overwhelmed to being again ready to face difficult situations and to be ready to again find this fire inside of me, because I think that's what drives me. There is no fire, I mean, I don't want to practice, I don't want to do this routine work, because in tennis is a lot about the routine.

Q. You mind if I ask a last question about Gael?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah.

Q. I wonder how you're experiencing it, watching him go through his last season. From the outside, it's really emotional, there's a lot of attention on him. Does it give you a new sense of perspective? Is it an interesting experience and how are you living this?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I think for me was the most difficult when he really told me, it was I think September last year, when he told me that he's thinking about it and that probably is going to happen.

That's where, yeah, was tough, as well, for me, because, you know, I have been watching him a little also when he was playing great matches starting his career and then also following him before we were together.

And then, you know, being next to him and seeing what he's going through of course is very special. For me, it's also, yeah, emotional to see, you know, the way that he's, you know, handling this.

Of course sometimes it can be tough for him and emotional, and I try to be there every step of the way and try to support him. I mean, I don't think there is any other thing that I could do really, just to be there and talk sometimes, sometimes just to be in silence to let him, you know, enjoy, in a way, this last year.

I think, you know, Europe, Roland Garros time will be really emotional for him. So it's gonna be a lot for us, you know, as a family, but also a lot of enjoyment, because it's, yeah, something special, you know. It's a chapter that you will never forget.

Only thing you can do is just live around these emotions. You cannot get rid of all the excitement, all the, you know, different bad emotions and good emotions. It's just mixture of it.

So we just try to enjoy this moment as much as we can.