Frances Tiafoe congratulates WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu on joining the likes of Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka as part of the Nike signature family
American tennis star Frances Tiafoe congratulated WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu for joining the Nike family and becoming Nike's signature athlete.
Ionescu currently plays for the New York Liberty as a point guard. She played college-level basketball for the Oregon Ducks until 2020. She is the only player, male or female, with career 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds.
Ionescu now joins the likes of American tennis legend Serena Williams, American soccer team captain Megan Rapinoe & American Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who are all signature athletes and have released their signature shoes with the sporting giant.
Ionescu took to Instagram to announce her collaboration with Nike and that her signature shoe, 'Sabrina1', would be released soon.
"I’m officially a Nike Basketball Signature athlete! The #Sabrina1, coming soon," Ionescu captioned the post.
The 25-year-old's addition to the Nike family did not go unnoticed by American tennis star Frances Tiafo. The World No. 16 tennis player ardently follows the WNBA and was recently seen wearing WBNA star Aja Wilson's jersery during a practice session in Acapulco. Tiafoe took to his Instagram stories to congratulate the Ionescu.
"Congrats Beast @sabrina_i," Tiafoe captioned his story.
NBA Superfan James Goldstein attends Frances Tiafoe's quarterfinal match at Indian Wells Masters
American tennis star Frances Tiafoe is through to his first ATP 1000 Masters semifinals on his home turf at the BNP Paribas Open.
Tiafoe outclassed Brit Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal clash to nab a spot in the semifinals where he will face Russia's Daniil Medvedev. Tiafoe is yet to drop a set on his way to the semifinals
Amongst the various fans attending the quarterfinal was an unlikely spectator - American businessman James Goldstein, who is famous for being an NBA superfan and is often seen attending NBA matches with courtside seats.
83-year-old Goldstein took to Instagram to share a moment between himself and Tiafoe when Tiafoe ran towards Goldstein after the match to shake his hand. The pair also exchanged a few words.
"@bigfoe1998 x @jamesfgoldstein #bnpparibasopen," Goldstein captioned the post.
Tiafoe's semi-final clash with Medvedev marks the pair's fifth meeting. The American is yet to register a win against the Russian, who leads the head-to-head 4-0.
The pair last met at the Miami Open, an ATP 1000 Masters tournament, in the Round of 16 where Medvedev prevailed over Tiafoe in straight sets 6-4, 6-3.