Can Clara Tauson take “inspired” tennis to Indian Wells?

Clara Tauson arrived in Dubai under the weather. She heads to Indian Wells over the moon, but perhaps still under the radar.

“I've never been in this position before,” Tauson said after finishing runner-up at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. “I mean, I've been seeded at Indian Wells once before, but I was on the last row. Now I'm coming in with confidence, hopefully.”

One of the game’s most powerful players, the 22-year-old Tauson secured the 22nd seed at the BNP Paribas Open after reaching her first WTA 1000 final last month, where she fell to Mirra Andreeva but shocked world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka by playing what she called “inspired” tennis.

“Last year, I was struggling a lot just winning matches towards the summer,” said Tauson, who lost seven straight matches between May and August. “Now, I’m feeling happy and I feel like I improved my game a lot over the pre-season. My serve is obviously a big thing for me.

“It’s nice that it’s been working the past couple of tournaments. I’m a little bit hungrier for wins now.”

That hunger helped Tauson, a former junior Australian Open champion, push through a nasty cold that forced her to retire from the Qatar TotalEnergies Open; she was still sniffling when we spoke after her first-round win over Rebecca Sramkova.

“I haven’t really been able to breathe for a week,” she told me. “Someone needs to teach me some remedies, because I don’t drink anything hot: tea, coffee, anything. I can’t really get fluids that way, but I did try to force some hot water down. It didn’t go so well to be honest.

“The only hot thing I drink is hot chocolate, but that wouldn’t be good when you’re sick!”

Tauson was nonetheless able to smell victory throughout the week in Dubai, surviving a third-set tiebreaker against Elina Svitolina and avenging an Australian Open defeat to Sabalenka for her first win over a world No. 1.

The bravado she first displayed when she stormed to her first WTA title as a teenager was on full display in the aftermath of her 6-3, 6-2 drubbing of the three-time Grand Slam champion.

Tomorrow, you can play the best match of your life, or you can be injured. Tennis is a crazy sport like that, but that’s also why I love it. Clara Tauson

"Now that we've played twice, I feel like my pace may be even higher than hers,” she exclaimed before conceding, “though she's obviously more consistent than I am! We play very similar games. I like the way she plays and the way the ball comes of the racquet. It's heavier, obviously, but I felt like I had a good read on it today, especially her second serve, which I had a lot of trouble with in Australia."

Ironically, Tauson had demurred about her confidence earlier in the week, alluding to the years of injuries and inconsistency that stunted what was initially a meteoric rise.

“I always want to present an image of self-belief, but inside, there can be doubt with what you’re doing. That’s normal, but now I have a lot more confidence. I don’t know if it’s more than it used to be, but I do feel more relaxed with my game and more clarity around the way I should play.”

After backing up her Lyon victory to end 2021 with a second title in Luxembourg, she kicked off 2022 with a first Top 10 victory over Anett Kontaveit at the Australian Open, only for back and foot injuries to derail her season. A maiden second-week appearance at last year’s Roland Garros, where she beat 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, looked to portend a return to form, but then came the aforementioned losing streak that fueled worries the heavy hitter was injured once again.

“No, I was just bad!” she confirmed with a laugh. “The grass season was tough for me, and after that I think I lost a bit of confidence in my game. I tried to work a lot and put even more hours on court, but that’s not always the key. Sometimes, yes, but last year it didn’t help. Last year, I should have focused more on being happy on court and trying to play my tennis. Instead, I was just trying to win matches all the time.”

Tauson turned things around with the help of boyfriend-turned-coach, Kasper Elsvad. A former player, the 26-year-old Elsvad led Tauson through a stabilizing Asian Swing and helped her hit the ground running with an ASB Classic title in the first week of 2025—outlasting an injured Naomi Osaka in the final.

“A lot of people say maybe he’s too young, but if you have the skills, age doesn’t matter, and I’m really feeling the benefit right now,” Tauson told me.

“I think he has a really great view of tennis. He sees a lot of things that I don’t see, both when I’m on court and also in practice. He has a very good eye.”

Elsvad also recommended Tauson, a consummate baseliner, add more doubles to her schedule. In Dubai she partnered in-form American McCartney Kessler to topple doubles specialists Timea Babos Nicole Melichar-Martinez, and she entered the Indian Wells doubles draw alongside Yulia Putintseva.

“I never really enjoyed it,” Tauson confessed, “but now I see the parts of it you can train, especially serve and return. Both are important in doubles.

“I’ve let go a little bit and it’s an alternative to practice, getting to play a few matches in between my singles. It’s more fun now for me to play doubles because I have more a purpose with it. Before, I was just playing to see what happens. Now, I’m going in there focused on things I want to practice. We’re seeing a lot more singles players entering the doubles and playing well. Hopefully, me too.”

The plan has paid off so far, but after a 15-4 start to the season, can Tauson, who could get a rematch with Osaka in the second round, replicate her form in the California desert? Before making her big run in Dubai, she spoke of the importance of improving her consistency—but with the caveat that much in tennis can ultimately come down to chance.

“With the miles we travel—we travel all over the world in the span of two weeks—you never know what’s going to happen with your body or your health. I’m trying to keep a big focus there, but it’s sport. Tomorrow, you can play the best match of your life, or you can be injured. Tennis is a crazy sport like that, but that’s also why I love it.”

As one of the few players who can match the likes of Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina in raw ball-striking, a strong Sunshine Swing result from Tauson wouldn’t be crazy at all. Rather, it would be confirmation of her already-immense capabilities.