Swiatek explains the change in her game to come back against Keys: "The tactic was.."

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The alarms went off at La Caja Mágica, and not because of the power outage last Monday, when Iga Swiatek suffered a 'bagel' at the hands of Madison Keys on clay. The Polish player had no choice but to go all out if she didn't want to see her chances of defending the title at the Mutua Madrid Open disappear. In the end, the world number two found her game to come back and defeat the American (0-6, 6-3, 6-2) and set up a semifinal clash with Coco Gauff in the Spanish tournament. She talked about this comeback and the slump in the first set in the post-match press conference.

Explanations about the first set

"Keys played great, and I obviously didn't. So that's what happened in the first set, but it didn't really matter. I think she is in a different position than me. But when you have a result like that, you need to change something. But still, if Keys had won another set, I would say: 'Well, that's fine, she played very well'. But I was there to capitalize on my opportunities, and that's what makes me happy."

Her game didn't change much

"The tactic was more or less the same. I think in the first set, I didn't put many balls in. So when I started to put some in, I gave her more chances to make mistakes. Tactically, yes, when I finally felt like I could start playing, I did what I wanted to do from the beginning, so I'm happy. I don't think the tactic changed, I just wasn't able to play well in the first set."

Keys' great serving in the first set

"I think she played very well, and I didn't serve well. So, against a player like her, when you don't serve well, it's obvious it's going to be difficult. She was serving very well, and in every service game, she got two or three points with aces or incredible serves. So when I wasn't returning them, I had no chance of winning a point. So, when I didn't hold my serve, obviously, yes, it got complicated. But, you know, that's why it's good that we have second sets to change something. And maybe, yes, I think I started serving better, and that helped me."

Support from the Polish crowd

"They are always there, but I don't take them for granted, so I appreciate them coming to all the matches. Sometimes they believe even more than I do, so I can draw a lot of energy from them, and I really appreciate that. But today I would say that I focused more on myself and tried to stay focused and in my bubble. So sometimes, yes, it's also something you learn, like when to draw energy from the outside and when to focus on yourself, and I'm happy they are there to support me," says Swiatek, who reacted in time to avoid a resounding defeat and is now focused on defending the title at the Mutua Madrid Open.

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