“Footwork was solid”: Iga Swiatek trains with pro cyclist during off-season

FLASHBACK: Swiatek's post-match press conference turned into a heated music debate after her second victory at the 2022 WTA Finals in Fort Worth.

With December right around the corner, tennis’ short “off-season” has now officially become the “pre-season” as players return to the gym and get a head start on their 2023 preparations.

For world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, that meant swapping practice partners for the day as she shared an Instagram post alongside a world championship winning Polish cyclist, Michal Kwiatkowski.

“Meet my new talented hitting partner,” Swiatek wrote in a caption. “One thing is sure… footwork was solid.”

“Great afternoon with Iga Swiatek and her amazing team,” wrote Kwiatkowski, who pinned the post to his own Instagram page. “Happy to hit some tennis balls (and miss all the serves).

“Fingers crossed for your season and hope to see you at some bike race.”

Swiatek recently crossed one million followers on Instagram, after finishing her historic season with a run to the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. The Polish player had also made headlines ahead of the tournament, when she announced that she would not travel to Glasgow to compete in the Billie Jean King Cup as the scheduling was “not safe” for her health.

And just like the doctor ordered, the three-time Grand Slam champion took some much-needed time off instead.

The 21-year-old posted snaps from the Belmond Cap Juluca, a luxury Caribbean resort in Anguilla—what she called a “dream vacation after two years of work.”

But she was soon back to work, with Swiatek posting a video hitting tennis balls on a practice court last week.

In between training with the likes of Kwiatkowski and hinting at her grass-court ambitions with a Lion King-inspired video on Instagram (above), Swiatek is preparing for a daunting undertaking: defending her massive ranking points haul after a 2022 season for the WTA record books.

The world No. 1 will start the upcoming season in Brisbane, Australia at the 2023 United Cup, representing Poland at the combined team event alongside Hubert Hurkacz, Magda Linette, Lucasz Kubot and more.

The tournament will begin in three Australian cities, including Sydney and Perth, on Thursday, 29, December 2023.