‘They are huge inspirations for me’ – Iga Swiatek pays tribute to Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn at US Open

World No. 1 Swiatek got her title defence off to the perfect start with a 6-0 6-1 demolition of Peterson in less than an hour on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

She was then asked about her growing bond with Shiffrin and Vonn, both of whom are huge names in the world of skiing.

Both are considered among the greatest skiers of all time and Swiatek described them as “huge inspirations” before drawing parallels between tennis and skiing.

“Last time I skied was when I was seven and I had accident that I could have died so I really got scared. I don’t get scared that easily but this for sure stopped me,” said Swiatek.

“I’m sad about it, because now when I’m a pro, I don’t really have time to do sports like that. I wish I could, you know.

“But for sure I’m happy that I had a chance to meet them. I haven’t met Mikaela yet because she’s always on tour the same as me and it’s hard to find time.

“They are huge inspirations for me. I don’t know, I just feel like our sports are kind of connected, because these are the only two sports where I feel individual with women having the same events and the same rhythm as guys.

“We kind of have similar experiences, especially I feel that when I hear all the interviews of Mikaela, I feel like we are kind of the same sometimes.

“So, yeah, it’s just nice to have somebody you can look up to, and that shares the same experiences that you can learn from. I’m happy that they are also so open to talk about everything. Yeah, that’s pretty cool.”

Swiatek takes on Daria Saville in the second round of the US Open after the Australian made light work of Clervie Ngounoue.

Looking ahead to that clash, Swiatek added: “Honestly, I have to analyse her game, because I think we may have played once before her injuries or surgery that she has. I’m not sure what’s her story, but she’s a great person. We always, when we pass each other, we say hi and she’s really positive.

“I will for sure get prepared, but, you know, it really doesn’t matter for me. I have my kind of image of tennis that I want to play and show, and I’m just going to try and focus on myself.

“Every match is really important. Doesn’t matter for me who’s going to be on the other side or what court it’s going to be. I just want to play my best game that’s possible any day.”