Andy Murray picks Iga Swiatek as his preferred doubles partner, Pole hilariously responds
Iga Swiatek shared a hilarious response after learning that Andy Murray had chosen her as his preferred doubles partner.
As players gear up for their campaigns at the season's final Grand Slam, the US Open's social media team caught up with them to inquire about their picks for the ideal doubles teammate.
Christopher Eubanks kicked things off by picking Taylor Townsend as his partner. Maria Sakkari then conveyed her interest in teaming up with Rafael Nadal. Frances Tiafoe, on the other hand, opted for his fellow Americans, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys.
Gauff returned the favor by choosing Tiafoe alongside Ben Shelton and Eubanks. Tiafoe proved to be a popular choice among the players, as Victoria Azarenka and Jessica Pegula also picked him as their partner.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray promptly expressed his interest in partnering with Iga Swiatek. Elina Svitolina concluded the proceedings on a touching note by selecting her husband Gael Monfils as her preferred partner.
Upon coming across a clip of being selected as Murray's favored doubles partner, Swiatek hilariously responded with a gif of a dog rolling over in surprise.
"It doesn't matter for me, I want to win no matter what they say" - Iga Swiatek on defending her US Open title with a target on her back
Ahead of her title defense at the 2023 US Open, Iga Swiatek was asked if she was bothered by being dubbed the "target" by her opponents. In response, the World No. 1 disclosed that her sole focus was on winning matches, regardless of the labels assigned by others.
"No, it didn't, because I know that I won many matches against these players in the past. I understand their feelings. But, yeah, it doesn't really matter for me. I want to win anyway, no matter what they say, so yeah," she said.
While the defending champion acknowledged the value of taking strength in her previous year's triumph, she also emphasized the need to recognize that this year is a "completely different story."
"On one hand you always want to kind of take experience from last year, find all these positive things that happened, take strength from that. On the other hand you have to remember that it's totally different story. A lot can happen during like these 12 months," Iga Swiatek said.
However, the Pole also expressed her intention to draw wisdom from her experience last year, noting that her triumph at 2022 US Open had significantly bolstered her self-belief on hard courts.
"I also want to kind of just take a lesson from last year. I learned a lot during US Open. This was probably the most important tournament in terms of me believing in myself and progressing on hard courts. So, yeah, I'll try to just focus on that. As I said, yeah, take everything step by step," she said.
Iga Swiatek will kick off her title defense against Rebecca Peterson on Monday, August 28.