Another day, another step closer to history for Mikaela Shiffrin. Kicking off her slalom season emphatically at Levi, Finland, the alpine skiing icon picked up her 98th World Cup win in style. With that, Shiffrin also showed that she’s well on her way to bouncing back from last season’s knee injury. Naturally, some celebrations are in order. However, her companions at the finishing line are making some of her other buddies look forward to their own big possibilities.

On November 16, Shiffrin bagged her eighth World Cup win at the legendary racecourse in Finland. With that, she was also awarded her eighth reindeer, the traditional prize for the Levi slalom winner. But the quirky gift is making her tennis pal Iga Swiatek yearn for something similar of her own in the near future.

The Polish tennis star has led her country to the semi-final in the ongoing Billie Jean King Cup. Justifiably, the 5x Grand Slam winner hopes to keep the momentum going. On November 17, Swiatek took to X to express how she would like to take a cue from the 98-times skiing World Cup winner Mikaela Shiffrin to celebrate Poland’s maiden BJK Cup properly. “Waiting for “Iga”,” wrote the 23-year-old in her social update, along with a goofy-looking emoji, underscoring that even she knows how silly her wish can come off as.

The post was also accompanied by a gif of a rather timid-looking cat and was a reply to a fan-run page’s post about welcoming Rori to Shiffrin’s ever-expanding reindeer family. The original post names all the eight Finnish reindeer that Mikaela has acquired since Rudolph first came her way in 2013. Seeing Swiatek’s wish, Shiffrin responded back urging her to visit Levi next year, so a fresh deal about “Iga” could be cut. In her own social media update from today, Shiffrin also expressed her glee at securing a spot on the podium at Levi again.

“Meet “Rori” short for “Aurora Borealis”…which I was so excited to see for the first time earlier this week!! What a day yesterday,” wrote the alpine phenom, along with introducing her fans to the majestic creature. Thanking everyone for their constant support, Shiffrin also reminded the skiing world that whatever happens, the skiers are united in performing in honor of Matilde Lorenzi, the Italian skier who left the mortal earth at the tender age of 19. While she revels in her first World Cup victory of the season, Mikaela will also surely want Swiatek to be able to replicate her success.

The chances of seeing Mikaela Shiffrin and Iga Swiatek in action together are slim, but not zero

Iga celebrated her birthday during this year’s French Open and was on her way to successfully defend her title. Naturally, her fans and friends were waiting with bated breath to see if she could go the distance and win her third straight Roland Garros title. Along the way, the Pole got some extra boost to the systems from Mikaela Shiffrin. As Lego hailed the tennis star for her impeccable performance, the alpine skier also wanted to mark the moment with her own festive emojis on social media. Shiffrin has also previously commended Swiatek for being career-focused by saying, “I didn’t know who the heck I was — I still kind of don’t — and somehow she just seems like she has certain things that are straight in her head. The answers she has now, already in her career, I wish I had those at that time in mine.”

Last year, speculations were rife about whether Shiffrin and Swiatek would make an appearance together on the tennis court for a high-octane doubles match-up. While that didn’t ultimately pan out, Shiffrin has something to keep her focused on her current campaign. The prospect of seeing the 29-year-old pick up her 100th World Cup win this season is high, and fans can’t wait to see where she achieves the historic career landmark. Where do you speculate the milestone moment to come? Tell us in the comments!