Top seed Iga Swiatek received an unexpected boost during her fourth-round match at the US Open 2024, as Jason Sudeikis, the star of her favorite TV show “Ted Lasso,” made a surprise appearance to watch her play at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The US Open regularly hosts celebrity sightings, with frequent attendees like Vogue editor Anna Wintour and comedic actor Ben Stiller gracing the stands. This year, Swiatek was particularly thrilled to see Sudeikis, whose show she deeply admires, in the audience for her 6-4, 6-1 victory over Liudmila Samsonova.
“I actually tried to avoid looking at the screens, but I saw him tonight when I was looking at the chair umpire,” Swiatek shared after the match. She also expressed her appreciation for the Apple TV show’s message of “positivity,” adding, “I wanted to stay focused, and I hope he appreciates my mentality because this is what ‘Ted Lasso’ is all about.”
This isn’t the first time Swiatek has felt starstruck at Flushing Meadows. Earlier in the tournament, she had a memorable encounter with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, who returned to the US Open for the first time since playing her final match there two years ago.
Swiatek admitted, reflecting on her meeting with the tennis legend, “It was nice that she approached me because I wouldn’t have had the courage to do that if it were the other way around.”
While Swiatek kept her cool, not all players managed to stay quite so composed in the presence of celebrities. After his fourth-round win over Alexei Popyrin, American Frances Tiafoe took the microphone from the on-court interviewer to give a shoutout to actor Tony Goldwyn, star of the TV show “Scandal,” who was watching from the stands.
“I’m a huge fan of you, bro. Me and my girl used to watch ‘Scandal’ all the time,” Tiafoe said, pointing to Goldwyn with a smile.
With her quarterfinal berth secured, Swiatek continues to demonstrate the mental toughness that defines her trademark, perhaps drawing inspiration from the uplifting message of “Ted Lasso.”
Leave a Reply