Iga Swiatek has been incredibly successful at the Indian Wells Open in the past, but she rejected the idea of her success coming only thanks to the surface.
Tennis players work hard on their craft, which is why they want to be appreciated for what they are able to do. Of course, there are conditions that they like more and those that they like less, and in Swiatek’s case, the conditions in Indian Wells really suit her.
It’s one of her most successful big tournaments. In her career, the Pole won 90% of the matches that she played in Indian Wells, and she had more success only at two other events. Those are the French Open (95%) and the Italian Open (91%), which are both clay-court events.
Swiatek hasn’t enjoyed as much success on the hard courts in her career, which makes her good results in Indian Wells stand out even more. This year, she beat already two opponents, not allowing either of them more than two games.
She first beat Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-0, and picked up where she left off against Dayana Yastremska, beating the Ukrainian 6-0, 6-2.
After the match, the WTA World No. 2 was asked about the conditions in Indian Wells and whether they helped her to find more spin on her balls. She agreed, but emphasized that, at the end of the day, it’s her doing the job, not the surface.
“Well, for sure, I feel like it makes it more visible, the topspin that I play. But I still have to play it. So I think, my game, for sure, fits the surface here. But it’s not like it’s going to do all the job.”
A few minutes later, the Polish player faced yet another question about the surface. The reporter stated that many think Swiatek’s success in Indian Wells is “strictly due to the surface,” which she previously denied and did it again.
“Well, it’s never only about the surface. Like, I could also play to the fence and not win here on the slower surface (smiling). So I guess it’s always — honestly, you can say that about any win at any surface that any player has. It doesn’t really make sense.”
Despite being quite obviously irritated by the question of the surface being the reason why she’s successful in Indian Wells, the 23-year-old player didn’t avoid yet another question about it.
“For sure the surface helps, but it’s not the only thing. You still need to do the job. I’ve always been pretty focused here and also accepting the mistakes that are gonna happen this dry air. I always had time before to do solid work. It wasn’t like I was rushed anywhere.”
“Sometimes in these one-week tournaments, there is no time to practice, for example. But here, I always have that. I know I just feel comfortable and I found my rhythm also off the court to recover well. I guess it’s a mix of just being happy here and having a good life.”
