The thin desert air, slower hard court surface and high bounce in Indian Wells seem to suit Iga Swiatek perfectly. The Pole’s results at the BNP Paribas Open back it up — winning two titles and making another semifinal all before the age of 24.

“My game, for sure, fits the surface here,” Swiatek told reporters. Then she added: “But it's not like it's going to do all the job. “I could also (hit) to the fence and not win here on the slower surface,” she continued later. “You can say that about any win at any surface that any player has. It doesn't really make sense.”

So what are the other factors? For a start, Swiatek has more time to prepare for Indian Wells. Given the bye she received as a seed, she had a little more time than usual after losing to Mirra Andreeva on Feb. 20 in the Dubai quarterfinals.

“I always had time before to do solid work,” said the five-time Grand Slam winner. “It wasn't like I was rushed anywhere. Sometimes in the one-week tournaments, there is no time to practice, for example. Here I always have that.”

Swiatek has also gotten in some down time, which can be difficult with her busy schedule. Whereas last year Swiatek visited Malibu heading into Indian Wells, this year she headed to the Bay Area, including San Francisco. Swiatek checked out Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. She got a shout out, too, when attending a Golden State Warriors game.

“Next year I'm going to choose also another place because it's a great way to reset,” said Swiatek. “I know that at Indian Wells I'm always going to have this one week of solid work so I want to be charged for that. Also, I took this time to kind of reflect on the previous weeks, which I don't have time for at home. It was kind of like a work vacation a bit. I didn't do work physically, but I was able to, I don't know, kind of reset and think more about the process. Then there’s the serenity of the desert, as opposed to the hustle and bustle of some other tour stops."

“I love coming here,” said Swiatek. “I already have my routines. I feel like home. It’s for sure a place to be and a great place to play tennis.” That feeling of ‘home’ is helped by staying at a house instead of a hotel."

This year with a well fitted out kitchen, Swiatek is trying to sharpen up her cooking skills. She whipped up a baked oatmeal with apple and was looking to buy tuna. An avid reader and into her Lego, Swiatek said she doesn’t expect to turn into a Michelin star chef.

“I don't plan to follow it because I still feel like I'm bad at cooking,” said Swiatek. “So I'll probably stick to my oatmeals and just being able to make a breakfast and that's it, because that's the only thing I can do.”

But she has long been one of the world’s best tennis players. Swiatek only lost four games in her first two matches against Caroline Garcia and Dayana Yastremska. Up next in round four is the talented Czech all-arounder, Karolina Muchova.

Swiatek leads their head-to-heads 3-1, with three of the four matches going the distance. In the 2023 French Open final, Muchova even led by a break late in the third set before Swiatek prevailed at her stronghold. Indian Wells is another fortress for Swiatek.