"Don’t tell me Iga Swiatek doesn’t have a sense of humour or charisma" - Mark Petchey on Pole's remarks after hard-fought Australian Open 2R win
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek's sense of humour after her hard-fought win over Danielle Collins of the US in the second round of the Australian Open evoked appreciation from Mark Petchey, a former British tennis player. Petchey, who is now a commentator, waxed eloquent about the Pole's charisma and her witty demeanor.
Swiatek was interviewed on court by former tennis player Andrea Petkovic after the Pole defeated Collins in a tight three-set affair, 6-4,3-6,6-4, at the first Grand Slam of the year. Stating that Melbourne has the best coffee and that she likes it, Petkovic asked Swiatek about the coffee she would love to have after the match.
"Don’t tell me Iga Swiatek doesn’t have a sense of humour or charisma," Petchey wrote on X (formerly Twitter) referring to the funny reply from the Pole on her coffee choice.
"Coffee order. Flat white on oat milk and toasted banana bread when my coaches aren't watching," Swiatek said in response to Petkovic's query to loud cheers from fans on court.
The interviewer responded to the Pole's wish by recommending the same.
"So two toasted banana breads for you. Into the third round Iga Swiatek," Petkovic said to instant applause from the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.
Swiatek even jokingly said that she was thinking about heading to the airport when she was down in the third set but somehow managed to keep her nerves by staying in the match.
"I don't even know. Honestly like yeah I was on the airport already," she said.
The Pole admitted that it was tough playing against Collins and patted herself for the way she handled the situation by keeping confidence in herself.
"I am really proud of myself because it wasn't easy. I felt like I had the momentum going," she said.
When asked whether fans have to be concerned with the strap on her left knee, Swiatek said that it is not a major issue. She said that she has been struggling with it since the WTA Finals 2023 where she emerged as the champion.
"It doesn't matter because I have been struggling with my knee since Cancun (WTA Finals). I have ups and downs but it is not like it impacts my game. The intensity (of the match) was so high (and) I needed to be low on my legs. You don't have to be worried," the Pole said.
Iga Swiatek: "I knew that Danielle Collins played just perfectly but it would be hard for anybody to keep that level"
Crediting Danielle Collins for the way she played, Swiatek said that she knew that it would be difficult for her opponent to keep the intensity and level of play for a long time.
"I wanted to fight till the end. I knew that she played just perfectly butitwould be hard for anybody to keep that level. I wanted to be readywhen mistakes are going to come from the other side and I just wanted to push that and I just did that at the end," Swiatek said.
When Collins started hitting the ball faster, the Pole said she did not know how to tackle it initially but resolved to focus just on her game, which paid rich dividends.
"I felt like I had the rhythm. Then she started playing suddenly two times faster. I had kind of no idea of how to react to that. I just came back and thought that I can focus on myself. I stopped caring about how she is going to play," Swiatek said.