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Iga Swiatek, 22, reveals she hasn’t skied in 15 years because she was left traumatized after a ski accident in which she “could have died.” Lindsay Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin – two huge names in American skiing – are rooting for Swiatek and they are often expressing their support for the Polish tennis star.
After Swiatek defeated Rebecca Peterson 6-0 6-1 in the US Open first round, she was asked if her good relationship with Vonn and Shiffrin might have come from her love for skiing. While answering the question, Swiatek made a scary revelation – she had a freak ski accident when she was 7.
Also, Swiatek expressed her admiration for Vonn and Shiffrin, calling them “huge inspirations.”
Swiatek: I had a traumatic ski accident when I was 7
“No, last time I skied was when I was seven and I had accident that I could have died so I really got scared.
I don’t get scared that easily but this for sure stopped me. Yeah, that was the last time. I’m sad about it, because now when I’m a pro, I don’t really have time to do sports like that. I wish I could, you know. But for sure, yeah, it was a kind of traumatic experience for me when I was younger.
So maybe it was wise, you know, to stop, because when you’re scared of such sports that, you know, kind of when you need, you know, a little bit higher adrenaline and when you need to be focused and ready, it’s pretty dangerous, you know.
But for sure I’m happy that, you know, I had a chance to meet them. I haven’t met Mikaela yet because she’s always on tour the same as me and it’s hard to find time. They are huge inspirations for me. I don’t know. I just feel like our sports are kind of connected, because these are the only two sports where I feel individual with, like, womens kind of having, I don’t know, the same events and the same, you know, rhythm as guys.
We kind of have similar experiences, especially I feel that when I hear all the interviews of Mikaela, I feel like we are kind of the same sometimes (smiling),” Swiatek said.
