Iga Swiatek's practice session with Courtney Cox thrilled 'Friends' fans

Perhaps I should start this article by divulging that I am a huge Friends fan. Even though I have seen every episode, it is my guilty pleasure to rewatch them at night on Nickelodeon. This took the place of Thursday night must-see television from 1994-2004 when a Friends episode could not be missed.

That's why I was thrilled to see Courtney Cox, also known as Monica Gellar on the hit 1990s show, hitting tennis balls with World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. This hitting session was apparently in the works for a while and originated from a 2022 social media exchange between the pair. On, Swiatek's apparel sponsor, cleverly took the Friends theme further by calling it "The One Where Iga Swiatek Meets Courtney Cox." All of the episodes from the decade long show had titles beginning with the worlds "The One..."

Swiatek is enjoying a week off after winning back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome. Serena Williams was the last player to accomplish this feat in 2013, and she capped it off with a French Open win that same year.

Iga Swiatek was taking it easy on Courtney Cox

Crazed Friends fans had to enjoy the irony that Swiatek was hitting softballs to Cox. She definitely gave her something to hit back which is not something she does in a match with her peers or something that Cox's Friends character Monica Gellar would ever do. Swiatek is probably a fan of the show despite being three years old when the series wrapped its ten-year run in 2004.

Monica Gellar was hopelessly competitive, and some of the show's best episodes centered around sports including the annual Thanksgiving football games and the infamous ping pong match Cox's Monica character was involved in with Paul Rudd's character Mike Hannigan. Cox was striking the ping pong ball well on the Barbados vacation episode when Monica's hair got extremely frizzy from the humidity.

Swiatek is looking relaxed and ready to defend her French Open title. She is a three-time champion at Roland Garros (2020, 2022, and 2023). The red clay of Paris is where she has played some of her finest tennis which is a strong statement since the soon-to-be 23 year old (on May 31) has 21 career WTA titles.

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