Post by Admin on Oct 13, 2020 4:54:46 GMT
WTA Insider: You mentioned Daria. Today is World Mental Health Day and it's her birthday. In what way did you feel like the mental work you've done came through for you during these two weeks?
Swiatek: Obviously I wasn't consistent this year. Basically this was the first tournament that I felt I'm comfortable on court.
For sure I felt going back to tennis after the COVID break that my mental game is in the right place because I did a great pre-season during lockdown. That was the first time I didn't have any injury after pre-season so I felt like I must do some great success because I'm playing so well. Actually, that was really wrong.
It took me three weeks in the States to realize that. Then I kind of needed to rest because I did some huge mental work, so we went back to Warsaw. It was better but also I had my expectations really high.
I think I changed everything just when we came here. I realized being in that wrong mindset isn't going to help me. But also I felt that I don't have the power to change my way of thinking. So I also needed to understand that I can change anything in my mind in, like, 30 seconds and it's going to be better. So I did that.
My first match I wasn't really confident because of the things I had to work through but it got better every day here. After the Round of 16 win over Simona I felt like I'm in the right place mentally and right now. I can win with anyone.
WTA Insider: It's one thing to see you play as an underdog and swing freely against Simona, but then to switch gears and have to play as the overwhelming favorite in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and then to switch gears again to play a reigning major champion in your first Slam final. You keep saying I just kept doing the same thing. You make it sound easy and it can't be that easy.
Swiatek: It's not easy because you have to always be aware of what you're thinking on court. It's not easy because you have to be super focused to not let your mind fly away.
I mean, the hardest thing was just believing that it can actually lead to a good thing. Sometimes I used to think too much and analyze things for an hour, the smallest things that I thought. When I started to believe it's not that hard and that easy solutions are going to work, it was easier for me.
But in the beginning, trust me, during the US swing we were talking every day for an hour, what to change, how to think, when really, the easiest things worked. So it's pretty weird but it's true.
"I think I knew in the back of my head that I can do pretty nice things on court, but also it's hard for me to be confident all the time."
WTA Insider: When did you realize how good of a tennis player you could be and what had to happen for you to realize that potential?
Swiatek: Well I never realized that. There wasn't one moment. But also I realized that sometimes I felt bad and sometimes my confidence level was just really low and then I thought I'm not going to make it. Actually I had some thoughts like that at the Western & Southern after my loss in the first round.
So even though I knew I have potential and I knew that I can win big tournaments, because I won junior Wimbledon in 2018, I still had my doubts. I think I knew in the back of my head that I can do pretty nice things on court, but also it's hard for me to be confident all the time.
So right now I'm going to focus on that consistency. I want to believe in myself for the whole time and for every tournament. So we're going to work on that because I know that it's weird that you can win a Grand Slam and lose in the first round in Rome or Western and Southern. So I really want to be consistent.
I think for my whole career, the junior Wimbledon taught me a lot, the whole experience. I think back then during this week I actually felt almost the same as here. I just felt like I could do anything. I just want to have that feeling on every tournament and be more consistent.
Swiatek: Obviously I wasn't consistent this year. Basically this was the first tournament that I felt I'm comfortable on court.
For sure I felt going back to tennis after the COVID break that my mental game is in the right place because I did a great pre-season during lockdown. That was the first time I didn't have any injury after pre-season so I felt like I must do some great success because I'm playing so well. Actually, that was really wrong.
It took me three weeks in the States to realize that. Then I kind of needed to rest because I did some huge mental work, so we went back to Warsaw. It was better but also I had my expectations really high.
I think I changed everything just when we came here. I realized being in that wrong mindset isn't going to help me. But also I felt that I don't have the power to change my way of thinking. So I also needed to understand that I can change anything in my mind in, like, 30 seconds and it's going to be better. So I did that.
My first match I wasn't really confident because of the things I had to work through but it got better every day here. After the Round of 16 win over Simona I felt like I'm in the right place mentally and right now. I can win with anyone.
WTA Insider: It's one thing to see you play as an underdog and swing freely against Simona, but then to switch gears and have to play as the overwhelming favorite in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and then to switch gears again to play a reigning major champion in your first Slam final. You keep saying I just kept doing the same thing. You make it sound easy and it can't be that easy.
Swiatek: It's not easy because you have to always be aware of what you're thinking on court. It's not easy because you have to be super focused to not let your mind fly away.
I mean, the hardest thing was just believing that it can actually lead to a good thing. Sometimes I used to think too much and analyze things for an hour, the smallest things that I thought. When I started to believe it's not that hard and that easy solutions are going to work, it was easier for me.
But in the beginning, trust me, during the US swing we were talking every day for an hour, what to change, how to think, when really, the easiest things worked. So it's pretty weird but it's true.
"I think I knew in the back of my head that I can do pretty nice things on court, but also it's hard for me to be confident all the time."
WTA Insider: When did you realize how good of a tennis player you could be and what had to happen for you to realize that potential?
Swiatek: Well I never realized that. There wasn't one moment. But also I realized that sometimes I felt bad and sometimes my confidence level was just really low and then I thought I'm not going to make it. Actually I had some thoughts like that at the Western & Southern after my loss in the first round.
So even though I knew I have potential and I knew that I can win big tournaments, because I won junior Wimbledon in 2018, I still had my doubts. I think I knew in the back of my head that I can do pretty nice things on court, but also it's hard for me to be confident all the time.
So right now I'm going to focus on that consistency. I want to believe in myself for the whole time and for every tournament. So we're going to work on that because I know that it's weird that you can win a Grand Slam and lose in the first round in Rome or Western and Southern. So I really want to be consistent.
I think for my whole career, the junior Wimbledon taught me a lot, the whole experience. I think back then during this week I actually felt almost the same as here. I just felt like I could do anything. I just want to have that feeling on every tournament and be more consistent.