Iga Swiatek reveals she attended Phoenix Suns games in the US, picks Chris Paul as her favorite player

Former French Open champion Iga Swiatek recently raved about her experience attending NBA games during her one-month training stint in the US.

Having lost to Jelena Ostapenko in the Round of 16 at the BNP Paribas Open, the Pole stayed back in America to prepare for the WTA Finals, which are being held in Guadalajara, Mexico. At the invitation of frequent doubles partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Swiatek went to Phoenix to train at high altitude.

The 20-year-old also managed to find time to attend NBA games in Los Angeles and Phoenix, with the atmosphere in Arizona's capital leaving her highly impressed.

“The Phoenix Suns, everybody there was so enthusiastic,” Swiatek told arabnews ahead of her WTA Finals debut. “You felt like many people there, they knew what’s going on. They were really shouting. It was really emotional. It was great.

“Also, all the things that were around the match, like the cheerleaders, also the contests for the fans, it was pretty cool," she added. "We had fun, for sure."

When asked which player stood out, Swiatek picked veteran point guard Chris Paul. The World No. 9 said she enjoyed watching Paul improve his performance during a game as she felt she could relate to it.

“It was hard to choose (one favorite player) but Chris Paul was pretty cool," the Pole said. “At the beginning of the match I could see that he’s not, like, 100 percent in the game. I could see how he’s making progress during the match, how he’s changing his game little bit. I also have that situation sometimes on court, so it was fun to see that.”

The Rome champion went on to reveal that she even bought herself a Chris Paul jersey.

Iga Swiatek to make WTA Finals debut against Maria Sakkari

Iga Swiatek practises ahead of her WTA Finals debut

Iga Swiatek built on her breakthrough season in 2020 with another solid campaign this year. The Pole won titles in Adelaide and Rome, and reached the second week of every Slam. Her consistency was rewarded with a spot at the prestigious WTA Finals.

The youngest player in the top 10 of the world rankings, Swiatek will open her campaign in Guadalajara on Thursday against nemesis Maria Sakkari.

The Greek has been a tough nut to crack for Swiatek, who has lost both their meetings so far this year. Sakkari ended the Pole's 11-match winning streak at Roland Garros with a straight-sets win and repeated the feat at Ostrava three months later.

Swiatek thus has a huge challenge on her hands when she takes the court in Guadalajara.