Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa sent their birthday wishes to Iga Swiatek, who turned 22 on May 31.
Gauff and Badosa are among the most promising young players on the WTA Tour. Gauff, 19, is one of the youngest players in the top 100, while Badosa, 25, is the current World No. 29. Swiatek is the reigning French Open champion and the World No. 1 among women.
On Wednesday, the Pole took to Instagram to share a childhood picture of her blowing candles and thanked everyone who conveyed their wishes.
“I see you, I see your kind words. Thank you so much,” Swiatek wrote.
Gauff wished Swiatek by commenting on her post, with the latter replying soon after.
“Happy Birthday,” Gauff wrote.“Thank you”, read Swiatek’s reply.
Badosa also sent birthday greetings to the three-time Grand Slam winner, who thanked the Spaniard and wished her well.
“Happy bday Iga! Enjoy,” Badosa commented.“@paulabadosa thank you, all the best for you too Paula”, Swiatek wrote.
Swiatek, the top seed at the 2023 French Open, will take on Claire Liu, who won the Wimbledon juniors title in 2017, in the second round of the clay-court Major.
Swiatek leads 1-0 head-to-head against Liu. She beat the 23-year-old American at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open. The Polish star is looking to defend her title at Roland Garros and become the first woman to do so since Justine Henin, who won in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Liu, who is No. 102 in the world rankings, is making her first appearance in the French Open main draw this year. Swiatek is more favorable to win this match, but Liu could challenge her with her powerful groundstrokes and strong serve.
