Team Poland - 2
Team Kazakhstan - 0
THE MODERATOR: Iga, Hubi, congratulations. The team's reached the final again this year. Just talk through some comments on both of your matches today.
IGA SWIATEK: Hubi will start.
HUBERT HURKACZ: Well, Iga played a great match. Yeah, I mean, it was great to get a win for Team Poland.
Played a decent match. Definitely happy with my performance, and some of the things started to click.
Looking forward to tomorrow. Of course Iga clenched the match at the end, so it was amazing, especially the comeback in the first set and then a fantastic second set.
IGA SWIATEK: I'm for sure happy with my performance, especially because I didn't start well. You know, it's not so easy to come back against a player as confident as Elena. I pushed myself to the limit. I told myself, you know, I'm not going to miss anymore.
So at the end, you know, in the second set, I was able to keep it, even though for sure I felt pressure when I was closing the match, but I'm super happy with my game, because it's the first time I was able to win against her on faster surface.
So I think it's a nice step forward. Obviously, you know, every match with her is always hard and will be, but for sure it gives me, like, confidence and more hope.
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. Iga, you don't normally, in a match that's not a final, show that much emotion with a win or during points. The last couple of matches in particular you have really shown a fair amount of emotion. Can you just touch on that?
IGA SWIATEK: Honestly, for sure, like, for the past two years, you know, most of the wins I had weren't, like, I don't know, a surprise for me. Now it's not either, but, you know, I remember in 2022, like every quarterfinal was an amazing achievement, and last year, like, quarterfinal was, like, whoa, okay, I've got to do more.
So I'm trying to find more just joy and these positive emotions. Obviously sometimes negative are going to come as well, but I feel like I can push with, like, when I'm having them, it's going to push me to work even harder.
But for sure it's more emotional because we're playing for the team, not only for ourselves, so I think this also adds up to that.
But I feel good, like, I feel that these emotions are pushing me further, not, like, I don't know, making me nervous or whatever.
Q. Hubi, something a little different. I'm curious, your viewpoint of the story of the flamingo and how much it's contributed to Team Poland this year.
HUBERT HURKACZ: Viewpoint, okay. Difficult question, Andrew. (Laughter.)
Okay. Well, at first it was, you know, it was brought to us to support us on the ocean poll to keep us afloat, and that's what it's doing for us in the matches.
You like the answer?
Q. Iga, I'm curious, because I know you have enjoyed it too? Just your thoughts?
IGA SWIATEK: Well, I'm not a good swimmer, so for sure I survived because of it at the beginning of the tournament. That's why I'm able to still be here. So thank you, flamingo.
Q. Iga, for the bulk of the start of the first set, felt like you were kind of in your own head a little bit. Seemed like you couldn't just get out of it. Was there anything that Wim told you that helped with that or was it just something you told yourself? Because once you locked in on those last couple of games, it seemed like things started to flow.
IGA SWIATEK: What do you mean I was in my head? Positive way?
Q. No, not necessarily. It just seemed like you were very frustrated. You said at one point it has something to do with the backhand, I'm just pushing ball.
IGA SWIATEK: Well, in the first set, I felt like I'm not doing enough and I'm not working as hard as I should. I felt like I could do more with my legs and go lower and be more intense.
For sure I wasn't happy with that, because with Elena serving, there weren't much rallies to kind of work on this. But then I really, like, with this one game that I broke her in first set, I really like run to everything and I was able to get these balls back finally. So this was my chance.
Then in second set at the beginning, well, I felt like I had two chances to break on first two games, and I just wanted to do that.
I got frustrated by that a little bit, but obviously you can't go on your service game and think still about the previous games, so I just tried to reset. So I just told that to the team. I forgot about it, you know. I went forward, and that was the best thing to do.
Q. This question is to Iga but also to Hubi if you could answer it, as well. You played a number of high-quality matches in this tournament with Muchova and Boulter and now Rybakina. Do you think it helps your preparation for the Australian Open to have so many great wins against top opponents, or are you worried that facing so many of these top opponents takes out some of the energy that you need right before the Grand Slam? And Hubi, in terms of the energy that you have had playing those matches, as well.
IGA SWIATEK: Well, honestly, I don't think it's going to change a lot. If I'm going to get enough recovery, I'll be fine. But for sure it's giving me a lot of confidence.
I wouldn't say that at the end of the season, maybe except Billie Jean King Cup, I played, like, my game, kind of. Playing these matches now and being able to push through some tough moments and playing with pressure on my shoulders and still being able to play well, it gives me a lot.
So I would take this over, you know, being super, super fresh, especially because, you know, first of all, I'll have time to recover. Second of all, honestly, the season is hard, like, no one is fresh at the beginning, I think.
So yeah, I think, I mean, I'm still young. Few days is going to be enough.
HUBERT HURKACZ: Definitely happy to play matches and to play even more, especially that I haven't been playing last couple of months, haven't been playing much. So I need matches and I need tough ones. Really looking forward to that, to the final.
Q. Looking ahead, then, Iga, obviously there is Coco, very familiar opponent to you. Then the weirdness maybe of playing Karolina twice in a few days. Can you talk about kind of the challenges of each?
IGA SWIATEK: Well, I wouldn't say it's super weird. It also happens sometimes in WTA Finals, but for sure, you know, there is always going to be a question, like, is she going to change something or not? Because playing the same week, we kind of know what to expect. So for sure I'll need to, like, be ready for different scenarios.
And against Coco, you know, she's playing great, I think. I mean, I haven't watched, but Coco is, I think at this stage she's developing every month, and it's going to be also a nice challenge, and, you know, I'm happy with my game. I can kind of play without expectations and just push for more as I did today. I'll be happy anyway if I do, like, the same kind of work I did today, like, no matter the result. So I'll focus on myself.
Q. Hubi, what's it like when you start a season with a new racquet? Obviously you have been playing better and better. What's that experience like as you try to get used to it and what you learn about playing with it more?
HUBERT HURKACZ: Well, obviously it's a big change, and you need matches, as I mentioned before. And practicing with the racquet is something else than playing matches. So I was getting used to certain shots at the beginning, because the feedback is different from the ball. So I need to mentally adjust, because what I was used to after certain shot, I was expecting certain result, which with this racquet is a little bit different and better for me, I feel. But it still needs some adjustment on my part.
Yeah, so that's why I'm so happy that we're in the final, so thanks to Iga and the team.
IGA SWIATEK: Well, you won, as well.
HUBERT HURKACZ: A little bit (smiling).
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