WATCH: Iga Swiatek finds a "friendly partner" in Friends actress Courteney Cox; pair play tennis as Pole unveils French Open 2024 kit
Iga Swiatek found a “friendly partner” in Hollywood actress Courteney Cox as she unveiled her French Open kit in Paris on Tuesday, May 21. The pair also partook in a playful duel.
Swiatek is gearing up for a potential hattrick at the 2024 French Open (May 26- June 9), having won the title in 2022 and 2023 after clinching her first in 2020. The Pole will head into the tournament as the heavy favorite after her clean sweep at the claycourt WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
Ahead of her campaign in Paris, Iga Swiatek unveiled her new kit for the Grand Slam event. The World No. 1, who teamed up with Roger Federer-backed On Running in 2023, sported a sleeveless ombre top and skirt in purple, white and red-orange colorway. She completed the look with a white hat.
Interestingly, earlier in the day, Swiatek made a cryptic post about wanting a “friendly partner” on her Instagram stories.
"Hello Paris! Looking for a friendly partner to play doubles with. Who’s in town?" she asked.
The answer to the Pole’s question can now be found in Hollywood actress Courteney Cox, who was invited as a guest for the unveiling of Swiatek's French Open kit. She donned an all-black attire by the brand for the occasion.
Iga Swiatek was all smiles as she hit some tennis balls with the ‘Friends’ actress on the claycourt. She then rushed to give Cox a warm hug, and the pair chatted away.
Courteney Cox’s presence doesn’t come as a surprise. The 59-year-old is a tennis lover and is often seen perfecting her skills on the court. In 2022, when Cox posted a hilarious video of her tennis fails with her hitting partner, Iga Swiatek made a doubles partnership offer.
"If we'd play doubles together, no one would have hit you. Just saying," she jokingly commented.
The actress was delighted by the tennis player’s offer and responded affirmatively.
"Ok come over, we'll take him on!! I mean this," she wrote.
Iga Swiatek previously revealed that she is a fan of Courteney Cox's character in 'Friends'
As per her own admission, Iga Swiatek is a huge fan of the American sitcom ‘Friends,’ which aired from 1994 to 2004.
The TV Series featured six main characters: three women - Monica, Rachel and Phoebe, played by Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow respectively; and three men – Chandler, Ross and Joey, played by the late Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, respectively.
Swiatek has often expressed her admiration for Perry and also opened up about feeling “sadness” when he died in 2023.
The Pole also previously revealed that she's fond of Kudrow and Cox’s characters Phoebe Buffay and Monica Geller.
"When I first watched, my favorite character was Phoebe, then it was Monica. I'm not sure even now. Yeah, I love the show," she said in one of her press conferences at the 2023 US Open.