"For me it was kind of obvious why I lost" - Iga Swiatek plots revenge against Sakkari while touching on bond with Casper Ruud

Iga Swiatek has her full attention on triumph in Indian Wells after making it past Kayla Day 6-0, 7-6(2) but has also spoken of her fondness for team events, lavishly praising Casper Ruud for their solidarity together along with touching on Poland's United Cup success after a tight match.

It looked like a walk in the park for Swiatek who blew her American opponent away. 27 minutes in, and Swiatek had secured a bagel to go halfway to the finishing line. However, Day responded well. She broke instantly in the second set before taking a 5-1 lead while playing some fantastic tennis. Swiatek clawed back and dug in deep, winning five games in a row to move 6-5 ahead. Day stopped the rot and a tiebreak was needed to split the pair. Swiatek was rampant, going 5-0 ahead before seeing it out with her first match point.

Swiatek admitted that her opponent raised her level in the second set but felt like her level also faltered slightly. "It’s always two players playing, so it’s always up to both of us," she told the Tennis Channel. "But I think I could have stayed more in the match. I kind of drifted off and needed to get back to my first-set mode."

Her performance did go back up in the nick of time to seal the victory. "It took me some time because I got tight when I lost so many points in a row. But later on I knew I could use being solid to get back into the game and put pressure on her. In the end of the second set it looked much better."

No matter how good at tennis you are, there is always a setback or issue waiting around the corner. Whether big or small, the best tennis players in the world get over it by adapting or adjusting their game, and that was what Swiatek did.

"Honestly, it depends on the situation and on what mistakes you’re making. Today, for example, I felt that my legs stopped moving. So I needed to stay lower on my legs and be more precise with my movement, and put some balls in to feel the rhythm again."

She acknowledged that it was one of the trickier parts of the game, with her serve also in need of help. "There are other situations where your serve is off or you’re just hitting the ball too hard. You need to adjust to what the situation brings. I think that’s the hardest part of the game—to quickly see what you’re doing wrong and change it immediately before it gets worse."

It was a useful thing to happen following her win, but she still believes there is room for improvement. "I’m also happy that I went through this experience today, so maybe next time I’ll react quicker," she stated.

The six-time Grand Slam champion is widely recognised as one of the best players of this current generation with so much more still to achieve. Swiatek is always striving for that extra improvement to add to her game as she looks to rocket back to the top.

She pinpointed the serve as an area which could be boosted. "I think the serve is always a focus. But I’m trying to change some things when I’m not playing tournaments," she said. "Overall, it’s about getting back to the grind so that in tough moments I can be like a wall. That’s how I’ve always played and how I won many tournaments. The period I had after Qatar Open in Doha, when I came back home and could really grind on the practice court, really helped."

The added confidence will prove to be vital as the season goes on. "I think in important moments it will give me confidence. I don’t care who you are—it’s very difficult to beat a wall."

Swiatek and Poland finally got over the line in the United Cup at the start of the year. The 24-year-old has been a part of this team for some time, regularly leading them deep into the competition with a third final on the spin finally paying dividends.

"I love them," she stated, referencing team events. "Honestly, I think it makes our sport much more interesting when we have different formats and different tournaments."

One of these reasons was to represent her country on the big stage. "I’ve always cared about playing for Poland. We came so close twice before and lost in the final, so I’m really happy that this year we could finally do it. As a team we always gave our all and had a great vibe. It was an amazing moment and something that was on my checklist. I really wanted to win an event like that, so I’m super proud of it."

Added to that, she has grown a nice bond with fellow tennis player Casper Ruud, with the pair having played a number of mixed double matches together. They came close to winning the revamped US Open mixed doubles event last year, losing out in the final. Most recently they competed in the warm-up event to Indian Wells, the Eisenhower Cup.

The duo did not win, and that could have come down to the fact that Ruud was stealing too many of Swiatek's balls. "Well, he stole one that was mine," she smiled. "He tried to defend himself, but I think he just wanted to smash it—he was looking for an opportunity to hit his forehand as fast as possible."

She let out some glowing praise for their partnership on the court with the pair complementing each other well out there. "But overall he’s one of those guys who really trusts my game. That was just one moment. In other matches he gave me a lot of space to play, so I appreciate that. I think we make a great team, so hopefully there will be many more chances."

Swiatek had built up a rather impressive record on the WTA 1000 circuit. She had taken the first set in 109 of those matches, and went on to win every single one. All good things come to an end, however, with Maria Sakkari completing a rather impressive comeback in the Qatar Open in a tight and dramatic contest to send Swiatek tumbling out at the quarterfinal stage.

Now back in action against the Greek, Swiatek is looking to make up for her frustrating setback. "For me it was kind of obvious why I lost. I’m not going to get into the details now, but I definitely want to improve those things," she summarised.

"When I walked off the court in Doha, I knew exactly what I could have done better. So I’ll try to do that in the next match. For now, I’ll recover well and enjoy Indian Wells, and I’ll be back in a couple of days to work as hard as possible to win the match."