The start of the 2026 season has not gone exactly as Iga Świątek expected.

Despite maintaining a solid record of 9 wins and 4 losses, the former world No.1 admitted that the results so far have not fully satisfied her.

At the United Cup she finished with a 3–2 record, losing matches against Coco Gauff and Belinda Bencic, even though Poland still managed to win the tournament.

Her campaign at the Australian Open also ended earlier than hoped, with a quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Elena Rybakina.

A similar scenario followed in Doha, where her run at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open ended in the quarterfinals after a surprising defeat to Maria Sakkari.

For most players, these results would still represent a very strong start to the season.

But in elite tennis, expectations operate differently.

And Swiatek knows it.

Lower expectations to regain clarity

During her pre-tournament press conference at the Indian Wells Open, Swiatek spoke openly about her current mindset.

“The results haven’t been what I would wish for, because most of the tournaments I lost somewhere around quarterfinals, so it would be great to improve that,” she explained.

But instead of increasing the pressure, she has chosen a different approach.

She suggested she might lower her expectations and focus more on the daily work rather than the results.

“It hasn’t been perfect, so I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I feel like I can lower the expectations and just focus on the work.”

In professional sport, this might sound counterintuitive.

But psychologically, it makes perfect sense.

Because expectations can easily become noise.

The paradox of expectations in tennis

One of the strange aspects of tennis is that the more a player feels they should win, the more difficult the game can become.

Swiatek herself reflected on how unpredictable tennis can be.

Last season she achieved some of her biggest successes on surfaces where she was not necessarily expected to dominate.

She won Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Open and the Korea Open, while surprisingly failing to capture a title on clay — the surface where she had previously built much of her dominance.

Looking back, she admitted that part of her success came from a sense of freedom.

“I felt really fresh in these places, like without anything in the back of my mind that I should do,” she said.

In other words, she played without the weight of expectation.

And that often allows players to perform more naturally.

When freedom creates performance

Swiatek also explained that before Wimbledon she made specific changes to her preparation and training.

She worked on different skills and adapted her practice approach to grass.

But she also acknowledged that tennis results are sometimes influenced by timing, conditions and confidence.

And this is where the mental side of the sport becomes decisive.

Players often perform their best when their attention is fully absorbed in the process — not in the outcome.

That state creates rhythm, clarity and fluid decision-making.

When expectations become too strong, the opposite can happen.

Attention shifts toward results.

Doubt appears more easily.

And performance becomes more fragile.

Indian Wells: a familiar opportunity

Despite her mixed results so far in 2026, Swiatek arrives at Indian Wells with good memories.

The tournament has historically been one of her most successful stops on the WTA calendar, and she has already lifted the trophy there twice.

The desert conditions tend to suit her game, particularly the combination of high bounce and slower court speed.

But the bigger question is not only about the tournament itself.

It is about the mental reset she is trying to create.

Lower expectations.

Focus on the work.

Let the level emerge again.

The real challenge of elite tennis

At the highest level of the sport, the difference between success and struggle is often extremely small.

A few points.

A few decisions.

A slight change in confidence.

Players like Swiatek already possess the technical and physical tools to win almost any tournament.

What becomes decisive is often something less visible:

how they manage expectations, pressure and the constant cycle of results.

By lowering the emotional weight of outcomes, Swiatek may actually be creating the conditions for her best tennis to return.

Because in elite sport, performance rarely improves when you chase results.

It improves when you reconnect with the process that produces them.

And that is exactly what she seems to be trying to do as the season moves forward.

Author

Federico Coppini
Tennis & Mental Coach
Founder of Coppini Tennis Academy