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.
