'No no no, it's probably me spitting on you': Iga Swiatek hilariously thinks she feels rain during Cincinnati Open interview

It was a moment that summed up both her intensity and her light-hearted side. During her on-court interview after booking her place in the Cincinnati Open final, Iga Swiatek briefly interrupted the questions to ask, “Wait, rain?”

When the interviewer reassured her—“No, no, no, it’s probably me spitting on you when I’m asking you a question”—Swiatek burst into laughter, replying, “I just heard something, I thought it was thunder.” The pair then realised it was simply an airplane overhead, before Swiatek turned the focus back to what mattered most: her tennis.

The world No. 1 had just come through a high-octane battle with Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 in which Rybakina sat on the verge of the set but ended up losing it and then the match. Now she goes for yet another title after resuming her run at Wimbledon last month. She had a poor Canada but she has bounced back supremely over recent weeks. It would be an 11th career WTA 1000 title if she sealed the win on Monday.

“Oh my god, yeah, for sure, that was a tough match. At the beginning, the level I think was pretty crazy. We played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball, because we played so fast. But I was there to play with intensity and good quality, and I’m super happy with the performance. I served much better, so for sure it helped, and I wouldn’t change anything.”

Paolini awaits

Looking ahead to Sunday’s showdown, Swiatek could've faced either Jasmine Paolini or Veronika Kudermetova—two players she has handled well in previous meetings, though she knows each poses a very different challenge. it ended up being Jasmine Paolini who saw off Kudermetova later that evening in a comeback clinic win.

“Well, anyone who’s going to be in the final, it’s going to be super tough. Both of these opponents play totally different tennis, like on the other sides of the spectrum, in terms of the spin and the pace. So I have to, for sure, prepare tactically, but I’ll just kind of focus on myself and try to continue the work I’ve been doing, because for sure I feel like I’ve progressed in this tournament. I just want to continue that, no matter what the result is or what the stake of the match is.”

For Swiatek, that progress is clear. Her serve has looked sharper than ever, her movement relentless, and her composure unshakable—even when joking about phantom thunder during her post-match chat.

The Polish star also took a moment to thank the Cincinnati fans for the warmth they have shown her throughout the week. “Yes, for sure. I feel the love here, and it’s a great place to be. People of Cincinnati are so nice, and anywhere we go, we feel like even though we’re here to play and everybody kind of knows us, we feel like we can have peace and just relax when we’re off the court. So thank you guys for coming and cheering for us, and see you tomorrow.”

Match Statistics Rybakina vs. Swiatek