The tennis player ranked No. 1 in the world and the new World Cup record holder have traditionally congratulated each other after reaching greater heights in their respective sports. Iga Swiatek and Mikaela Shiffrin continue to push each other to new heights despite the stark differences between their two sports.
The 22-year-old Pole discussed her close friendships with Olympic gold medalist ski players Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin while also recalling a terrifying incident in which she nearly lost her life while skiing. She explained that she had not skied in fifteen years. It was because a ski accident left her traumatized and she “could have died.”
Swiatek said, “Last time I skied was when I was seven and I had accident that I could have died so I really got scared.” However, she went on to add that now she regrets not playing a sport like skiing anymore as she doesn’t have the time left as a professional tennis player. Swiatek revealed how she loves playing sports other than tennis as well.
The world No. 1 went on to reveal more about her friendship with Vonn and Shiffrin. She called them huge inspirations, Iga and Lindsey have been friends for quite some time now. They keep pushing and cheering for each other. She said, “They are huge inspirations for me. I don’t know. I just feel like our sports are kind of connected.”
The feeling is mutual ❤️ https://t.co/pZQ7yiQM5W
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) September 1, 2022
Swiatek concluded by saying she has as much respect for skiing as she does for tennis. That is because these two sports, according to her are where men and women are both treated as equals. Women have the same ‘rhythm’ and ‘experiences’ as guys do in both sports, said Iga.
The idol of Iga Swiatek Roger Federer also loves skiing
Federer, who is Swiss, has always had a love for skiing and frequently traveled on skiing trips at the beginning of his career. He almost suffered a terrible back injury, though, and was forced to give up his passion. And now that he is in his retirement era, Federer has finally started enjoying skiing again after 15 long years.
“It’s been 15 years, it feels so good to be back on the slopes ⛷️ #newbeginnings.” He captioned his Instagram post.
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However, Federer is not the only hot-shot tennis player who enjoys skiing. From Novak Djokovic to Jannik Sinner, tennis players have always shown a keen interest in the sport. In fact, Sinner skied till he was 12 years old. He even won trophies in the sport before choosing tennis as his preferred sport to play professionally.
Djokovic went so far as to credit his skills on the court to his skiing background. Skiing, however, really does help a tennis player with their form and build. The Wall Street Journal claimed Nole’s “wiry, limber and broad-shouldered with flexible joints and hips,” helped him on the court a lot. Sliding on the court is like skiing, said Djokovic.
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With friendships with Olympic gold medalist skiers and an idol like Federer, we may get to see Iga in ski gear soon enough as well. Iga shares several hobbies off the court as well, with music being a particular top interest. Iga defeated Australian Daria Saville 6-3 6-4 to advance to the third round of the US Open.