'She's better than anyone' - Iga Swiatek congratulates Mikaela Shiffrin for breaking World Cup win record

ByEurosport

Updated 12/03/2023 at 12:48 GMT

Mikaela Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark’s record for the most Alpine skiing World Cup victories on Saturday and it was a moment that Iga Swiatek enjoyed witnessing. The world No. 1 tennis player has developed a friendship online with Shiffrin and congratulated the American after the Pole's straight sets win over Claire Liu in her opening match at Indian Wells.

Iga Swiatek has congratulated Mikaela Shiffrin after she won her 87th World Cup race to become the most decorated skier of all time at just 27 years old.

The world No. 1 tennis player and Shiffrin have struck up a virtual friendship in the last three years with both athletes praising each other through interviews and messages on social media.

Swiatek was asked after her emphatic 6-0 6-1 win over Claire Liu at Indian Wells on Saturday whether there is a direct comparison to Shiffrin’s achievement in tennis.

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"Well, any of the Big 3 guys [Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer] and Serena [Williams], I think," Swiatek replied. "Yeah, she just dominated the sport.

"But on the other hand, the Big 3 had each other to kind of compete against each other. She's dominating. She's better than anyone."

Swiatek says she looks up to Shiffrin for how she is able to handle pressure on and off the slopes. Swiatek and Shiffrin could meet in person soon with both athletes nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year.

Swiatek added: “I don't know a lot about the technique but even I can see with my eyes that she has this huge talent.

“She's [doing] everything to optimise her potential and to just ski well mentally, physically, and technically. So I really respect that. She deserves this. And she's a nice person.

“We haven't met still, but the Instagram messages tell me she's a nice person. Huge congrats to her."

‘The greatest World Cup skier we have ever seen!’ – Watch Shiffrin’s record-breaking run in Are

Swiatek also met with Olympic figure skating gold medallist Nathan Chen and ice dance Jean-Luc Baker on Saturday as the pair attended Indian Wells.

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