INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- As the WTA’s No.1-ranked player for a total of 93 weeks and counting, Iga Swiatek is sometimes too good for her own good.

This could create problems heading into the teeth of the already-loaded 2024 calendar that will feature an extra event -- the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Ons Jabeur called it the season’s fifth Grand Slam. How is Swiatek approaching what promises to require some delicate maneuvering?

“Honestly,” she said in a Wednesday press conference, “that’s a great question. Because I have people in my team telling me that maybe in the future it’s going to be smarter to become this kind of player that is missing some tournaments and really focusing on the important ones -- scheduling your calendar in a way that you’re not rushing to get points or everything.”

One of those important ones came Friday at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where Swiatek had little trouble overcoming Danielle Collins 6-3, 6-0. 

Swiatek, who won this event two years ago, has been exceedingly sharp in opening matches in the WTA 1000 matches; this was her 17th straight win. She has the best winning percentage (.889) in those matches among players who have appeared in a minimum of seven.

Swiatek also won her 75th career match at a WTA 1000-level event and her 13th (in 15 matches) in the desert. 

Intellectually, at the age of 22, Swiatek understands the argument. At the same time, she has an undeniably stubborn streak we often see in people her age.

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“I feel like I can play a lot and I can handle it, so ... I just want to try,” Swiatek said. “I don’t want to miss any opportunities. I think if I’m going to get smarter, it’s going to come with experience and I’ll be able to make these kinds of decisions.

“But for now when we talked about it, we realized that I really like all these tournaments that are being held right now, especially on clay as well. I wouldn’t feel comfortable missing any of these events.”

Ordinarily, it’s a daunting enough schedule. After the March Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, it’s the clay season, ending at Roland Garros, followed by the brief grass circuit culminating in Wimbledon. This year’s changeup is a big one. After going from clay to grass in the blink of an eye, players will have to pivot back to the red clay of Roland Garros (July 27-Aug. 4) in a flash.

Swiatek has now won six of seven matches against Collins, but in their most recent match back in January at the Australian Open, was pushed to three sets. Collins, as is her habit, was aggressive to a fault, missing a lot of heavy forehands.

Swiatek is coming off the Middle East swing, where she won her third straight title in Doha and reached the semifinals in Dubai, falling to streaking Anna Kalinskaya. She was fine with that and came into the match against Collins in a relaxed state of mind. Maybe it was the two days of practice in the desert, more probably it was a day in Malibu, shopping, visiting the beach and an oyster bar, followed by another day chilling with her team around a pool.

In their later years, top players like Serena Williams and Roger Federer played an increasingly reduced schedule to lighten the load and increase their chances at the Grand Slams. Swiatek, significantly younger at this stage, has actually been a victim of her own success, winning 14 titles over the past two years. She averaged 78 matches in 2022 and 2023, far more than her closest pursuers in the rankings -- Aryna Sabalenka (62), Coco Gauff (64) and Elena Rybakina (63.5).

Swiatek’s team, led by coach Tomasz Witkorowski and psychologist Dara Abramowicz, can be forgiven if, as they say, they think Swiatek’s eyes might be bigger than her stomach as this season unfolds.

“I’m still kind of thinking about it but I’m at the stage that I want to play everything,” Swiatek said. “Especially the tournaments that I know I feel really comfortable at.

“For sure before Olympics it will be really hard to decide, 'Oh, I’m going to miss this one.’ Just to stay fresh and have the appropriate time for recovery. So we’ll see. But if it’s going to be necessary, we will do that.”