Les demi-finales de la United Cup étaient au programme samedi. Dans un premier temps, un beau duel avait lieu entre le Kazakhstan et la Pologne. Les deux équipes ont remporté leurs trois matchs et se présentaient avec beaucoup de confiance. Battue en demies en 2023 et en finale l'an passé, la Pologne d'Iga Swiatek s'est à nouveau hissée en finale. Le Kazakhstan d'Elena Rybakina n'a rien pu faire et a concédé les deux simples. Iga Swiatek est toujours invaincue en 2025. La numéro 2 mondiale s'est en effet imposée ce samedi à Sydney face à Elena Rybakina, malgré une cuisse droite bandée depuis sa victoire la veille contre la Britannique Katie Boulter. Dans un match serré (7-6, 6-4), la Polonaise s'en est sortie face à la sixième mondiale pour donner le deuxième point qualificatif à la Pologne dans cette rencontre d'United Cup face au Kazakhstan, après le succès d'Hubert Hurkacz face à Alexander Shevchenko un peu plus tôt (6-3, 6-2).
Photo / Video : @TennisAustralia
Photo / Video : @TennisAustralia
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00:00All right, hi everyone. I'll just start with the first question, then we'll go to media.
00:07Iga, Hubi, congratulations. The team's reached the final again this year. Just talk through
00:13some comments on both of your matches today.
00:15Hubi, we'll start.
00:17Okay, so, well, Iga played a great match. And yeah, I mean, it was great to get a win
00:25for Team Poland. Played a decent match. Definitely happy with my performance and some of the
00:33things started to click and looking forward to tomorrow. And of course, Iga clinched the
00:40match at the end, so it was amazing, especially the comeback in the first set and then a fantastic
00:46second set.
00:51I'm for sure happy with my performance, especially because I didn't start well and it's not so
00:58easy to come back against a player as confident as Elena. So I pushed myself to the limit
01:06and I told myself I'm not going to miss anymore. So at the end, in the second set, I was able
01:12to keep it, even though for sure I felt pressure when I was closing the match. But I'm super
01:21happy with my game because it's the first time I was able to win against her on a faster
01:26surface. So I think it's a nice step forward. And obviously, every match with her is always
01:33hard and will be, but for sure it gives me confidence and more hope.
01:38All right, who'd like the first question? Craig, at the back.
01:44Hi Gabriel, United Cup Radio. Iga, you don't normally, in a match that's not a final, show
01:53that much emotion with a win or during points. The last couple of matches in particular,
02:01you've really shown a fair amount of emotion. Can you just touch on that?
02:08Honestly, for sure, for the past two years, most of the wins I had weren't a surprise
02:16for me. Now it's not either, but I remember in 2022, every quarterfinal was an amazing
02:24achievement. And last year, the quarterfinal was like, well, OK, I got to do more. So I'm
02:31trying to find more just joy in these positive emotions. Obviously, sometimes negative are
02:40going to come as well, but I feel like I can push, like when I'm having them, it's going
02:48to push me to work even harder. But for sure, it's more emotional because we're playing
02:53for the team, not only for ourselves. So I think this also adds up to that. But I feel
03:00good. I feel that these emotions are pushing me further and that's like, I don't know,
03:07making me nervous or whatever.
03:11Next question, Andrew.
03:15Hubie, something a little different. I'm curious your viewpoint of the story of the
03:20Flamingo and how much it's contributed to Team Poland this year.
03:26Viewpoint? OK, difficult, difficult question, Andrew.
03:32OK, well, at first it was brought to us to support us on the ocean pole to keep us afloat.
03:47And that's what it's doing for us in the matches.
03:52Do you like the answer?
03:55I'm just curious because I know you've enjoyed it too. Just your thoughts.
04:00Well, I'm not a good swimmer. So for sure, I survived because of it at the beginning
04:05of the tournament. That's why I'm able to still be here. So thank you, Flamingo.
04:12OK, we'll go Courtney and then Kieran. Yeah, Courtney.
04:16Iga, for the bulk of the start of the first set, it felt like you were kind of in your
04:20own head a little bit. It seemed like you couldn't just get out of it. I'm curious if
04:24there was anything that Wim told you that kind of helped with that or it was just
04:28something that you told yourself, because once you kind of locked in on those last
04:32couple of games, it seemed like things started to flow.
04:35But what do you mean? I was in my head like positively?
04:37No, not necessarily.
04:40You just seemed like you were very frustrated that you couldn't.
04:42You said at one point, you know, like it has nothing to do with the backhand.
04:45I'm just pushing the ball.
04:46In the first set, I felt like I'm not doing enough, you know, and I'm not working as
04:50hard as I should. I felt like I can do more with my legs and go lower and, you know, be
04:56more intense. So for sure, I wasn't happy with that because with Elena serving, like
05:01there weren't like much rallies to kind of work on this, you know.
05:07But then I really like with this one game that I broke her in first set, I really like
05:13run to everything and I was able to get these balls back finally.
05:15So this was my chance.
05:18And and then in second set at the beginning, well, I felt like I had two chances to break,
05:24you know, on first two games.
05:25And I just wanted to do that, you know, and I got frustrated by that a little bit.
05:32But obviously, you can't go on your service game and think about still about the previous
05:36game. So I just tried to reset.
05:39So I just thought that, you know, to the team and I forgot about it.
05:42You know, I went forward and that was the best thing to do.
05:45OK, Kieran.
05:47Kieran Gupta, the first serve.
05:48This question is to Iga, but also to Hubie, if you could answer it as well.
05:53You played a number of high quality matches this in this tournament with Mukova and
05:59Volta and now Rabakina.
06:01Do you think it helps your preparation for the Australian Open to have so many great
06:04wins against top opponents?
06:06Or are you worried that facing so many of these top opponents takes out some of the
06:11energy that you need right before the Grand Slam?
06:13And Hubie, in terms of the energy that you've had playing those matches as well?
06:21Well, honestly, I don't think it's going to change a lot.
06:26If I'm going to get it like an after recovery, I'll be fine.
06:29But for sure, it's giving me a lot of confidence, you know, and I wouldn't say that at
06:33the end of the season, maybe except Beijing Cup, I played like my game kind of.
06:38So playing these matches now and being able to push through some tough moments and
06:42playing, you know, with pressure on my shoulders and still being able to play well, it
06:46gives me a lot. So I would take this over, you know, being super, super fresh, especially
06:52because, you know, first of all, I'll have time to recover.
06:56And second of all, like honestly.
07:00This season is hard, like where no one is fresh, even at the beginning, I think so.
07:08So. So, yeah, I think I mean, I'm still young.
07:12A few days is going to be enough.
07:15Definitely happy to play matches and to play even more, especially I haven't been
07:21playing the last couple of months, haven't been playing much, so I need matches and I
07:26need tough ones and really looking forward to the final.
07:30OK, we'll do two more.
07:31One for Courtney, one for Andrew.
07:33Yeah. Just looking ahead, then, Iga, obviously there's Coco, very familiar opponent
07:39to you, and then the weirdness maybe of playing Carolina twice in a few days.
07:44Just can you talk about kind of the challenges of each?
07:48Well, I wouldn't say it's super weird.
07:50Like it also happens sometimes in WTA finals.
07:53But for sure, you know, there's always going to be a question like, is she going to
07:57change something or not?
07:58You know, so because playing, you know, the same week, we kind of know what to expect.
08:02So so for sure, I'll need to be ready for different scenarios.
08:07And against Coco, you know, she's she's playing great, I think.
08:12I mean, I haven't watched, but Coco is, I think, at the stage that she's developing
08:16like every month. So it's going to be also a nice challenge.
08:19And and, you know, I'm happy with my game.
08:24I can kind of play without expectations and just push for more, as I did today.
08:27And and I'll be happy, like anyway, if I do like the same kind of work I did today,
08:33like no matter the results.
08:34So so I'll focus on myself and that's it.
08:37OK, last one, Andrew.
08:39What's it like when you start a season with a new racket and obviously you've been
08:44playing better and better?
08:45What's that experience like as you try to get used to it and what you learn from
08:49playing with it more?
08:50Well, obviously you need it's a big change and you need you need matches, as I
08:57mentioned before, and practicing with the rackets is something else and playing
09:03matches. So so I was getting used to the certain shots at the beginning because the
09:09the feedback is different from the ball.
09:12So I need to mentally adjust because what I was used to after a certain shot, I was
09:17expecting a certain result, which which this racket is a bit different and better
09:24for me, I feel, but it still needs some adjustment on my part.
09:28And yes, so that's why I'm so happy that we're in the final.
09:32So thanks to thanks to Iga and the team.
09:35Well, you won as well.
09:37Yeah, a little bit.
09:39OK.