Lindsay Davenport: Will Iga Swiatek ‘flip the switch’ at the BNP Paribas Open?

Entering the first combined ATP and WTA 1000 event at Indian Wells, Iga Swiatek hasn’t won a title in the first two months of a tour season for the first time since 2020.

Is this merely a bump in the road for the five-time Grand Slam singles champion, or the sign of something more worrisome?

Two-time Indian Wells singles champion and Southern California native, Lindsay Davenport questions whether the world No. 2 will be able to “flip the switch” ahead of her upcoming BNP Paribas Open title defense.

“She can hit through the conditions, but mentally, that is the biggest challenge for her,” Davenport said this week on a media call. “Is she fresh? Is she confident? Does she believe going in that she can play her best tennis and win one? Similar to Sabalenka where she's playing to win Grand Slams, she was very disappointed to not win the Australian Open or to lose that match to Madison. She had it there for a period of time, let it slip away. Again, another player that didn't play great in the Middle East swing.”

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Swiatek’s most recent title came last June, where she lifted the Roland Garros trophy for a fourth time. Over these last eight months, there have been several frustrating losses, with a pause in the middle for a suspension related to a positive test for a banned substance.

“There are certain players where you feel like they can't help but wear their emotions, and you get a really good sense of Iga if you are looking into her eyes,” Davenport said.

“For whatever reason, she looks more stressed out on the court," Davenport added. "Whether that’s because the results haven’t been there or the change of coach, I don’t know, so I’m speculating.

"She just doesn’t look as calm or at ease on the court.”

Good news for world No. 2 is that she reached the semifinals of a hard-court major for the first time since 2022 at this year’s Australian Open, not to mention that she’s heading into an event she’s dominated the last few years.

The slower court conditions in the California desert favor players like Swiatek, Davenport said. The ball bounces high at Indian Wells, yet travels quickly across the court, which gives them more time to see out the point.

Swiatek travels to California with two Indian Wells titles to her name, the first in 2022 and the most recent at last year’s edition of the tournament. The 2023 year in the middle saw her a semifinalist.

“Sometimes it only takes one tournament, one match, one set, something that clicks in for a player and things start to turn around,” Davenport said.

“She’s fortunate she’s coming into one of her favorite tournaments ... for me, she's the favorite going into Indian Wells.”