Best friend goals? The latest chapter of Iga Swiatek and skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin's budding friendship hit Instagram on Wednesday, as the two superstars linked up for a live chat.
Both nominees for the 2023 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year award, have been a source of mutual inspiration for each other over the last year, since Swiatek established herself as the Hologic WTA Tour's consensus World No.1.
"I really appreciate what Mikaela is doing," Swiatek said earlier this year at the Australian Open. "She's a champion. The way she talks about also mental health and all the things that she struggles with. I think it's also helping other athletes to understand a little bit more how it is to be an athlete, and what challenges we face and how to overcome them sometimes."
"I love how she plays tennis; her style is so beautiful," Shiffrin told Eurosport in January. "It's methodical and beautiful at the same time. It reminds me of [Rafael] Nadal or [Roger] Federer. She has an incredible mentality about tennis and competition. Being young and having so much success already in her career, she's staying focused - in my opinion - on the right things, which is actually something I can learn from."
Over the course of 30 minutes on Wednesday, they chatted about a variety of topics including their mutual nomination, the pressures that come with their lofty positions in their sport, their respective charity work, and more. They also signed off by agreeing to hit the courts together.
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While the two still have yet to meet in person, they laid the framework for a long-awaited meeting over the course of their half-hour chat: While Shiffrin suggested even "five minutes in passing where I can just give you a hug," Swiatek told her that if she comes to a tournament, "we're going to host you like family."
That in-person reunion might happen sooner rather than later, as Shiffrin revealed that going to Wimbledon is "[her] dream." (But, Swiatek suggested, Roland Garros -- or the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she's targeting a return from the rib injury that forced her out of the Miami Open -- might be a surer bet.)
"If you want to watch me [at Wimbledon]," Swiatek joked, "go first week only, 'cause the second week, it's possible that I'm not going to be there anymore!"
But if they can't link up at a tour event, the two made a pact to play doubles together -- and to keep it fair, Swiatek suggested Shiffrin's boyfriend, Norwegian ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Ons Jabeur join them.
We are absolutely here for this Mikaela Shiffrin and Iga Swiatek friendship ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uEJbdz3DRc
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 5, 2023
"I'm very bad at serving, but everything else is okay," Shiffrin said.