Iga Swiatek has dominated many players in her rise to the top of the WTA Tour.
Swiatek even thrashed Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final where she won every single game of the match.
This has continued into the US Open, where Swiatek achieved a world record in her first round match.
Swiatek has struggled more in her most recent US Open matches, but a match she played against her ‘best friend’ in New York has now been brought back to the limelight.
Photo by Robert Prange/Getty ImagesKaja Juvan reveals if she still speaks to ‘best friend’ Iga Swiatek
Swiatek and Slovenian WTA player Kaja Juvan grew up playing tennis together as teenagers, and actually won a gold medal together at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.
However, both players were forced to put their friendship to one side when they reached the third round of the US Open in 2023.
Showing that she was the top seed and defending champion at the time, Swiatek thrashed Juvan, 6-0 6-1, in just 49 minutes on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Despite reaching the fourth round in such convincing fashion, Swiatek admitted in her post-match interview that she did not actually enjoy it.
“I didn’t like the fact I was kind of winning against my best friend,” Swiatek said at the time. “I knew I had to be focused and not let myself think about that. Playing her is like playing a sister. I don’t have many friends but she’s my best friend.”
Two years later after losing in the first round of US Open qualifying, Juvan invited fans to ask her questions.
One of these questions asked Juvan if she still speaks to Swiatek, to which she confirmed she does, but suggested that it is not very often.
Juvan wrote on her Instagram story, “Yes we still talk sometimes. I’ve known her for a very long time. She’s been doing amazing (smiling face emoji).”
Kaja Juvan reveals which ATP player she thinks it would be ‘nice’ to see win the US Open
That was not the only question that Juvan was asked relating to Swiatek, as she was also asked to predict who she thinks will win the US Open.
Juvan shortlisted many players including Swiatek as potential contenders for the women’s singles title at the US Open, but her men’s US Open singles comments were perhaps more notable.
The Slovenian suggested that she would like Novak Djokovic to win the US Open title, but admitted that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz may have too much for the 38-year-old.
“I think there are some really good candidates,” said Juvan. “Obviously Iga won Cincinnati, [Aryna] Sabalenka is playing really amazing, I really like how [Karolina] Muchova is playing and [Barbora] Krejcikova…Taylor Townsend is playing really amazing.
“And from the boys, I think it would be nice to see Djokovic win, but Alcaraz and Sinner are really consistent right now, let’s see.”
Juvan is currently the world number 161, and has climbed nearly 1000 places in the rankings this year after taking a year out from the WTA Tour following the death of her father.