Robert Lewandowski joined skiing greats Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin in saluting Iga Swiatek for earning the number one ranking in women's tennis for the first time.
At the age of 20, Swiatek guaranteed she will top the WTA list after the Miami Open by beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2 6-0 in her opening match at the event.
Swiatek will replace Ash Barty, whose shock retirement will see the Australian drop off the ranking ladder entirely when it is next published on April 4.
Since a shock French Open victory in October 2020, when the unseeded Swiatek stormed through the draw without dropping a set, the Polish youngster has continued to make a major impact.
She reached at least the fourth round of all the grand slams last year and was a semi-finalist at the 2022 Australian Open, before victory at WTA 1000 events in Doha and Indian Wells propelled her to number two in the rankings.
Now she will climb a step higher, and that news has proven popular with Swiatek's supporters, who include a number of illustrious names.
Fellow Polish sporting star Lewandowski, who is rewriting goalscoring records in Germany with Bayern Munich, sent his compatriot a message on Instagram that read simply: "Congratulations Iga. Well done."
Swiatek is a huge admirer of Americans Vonn and Shiffrin, who have both landed World Championship and Olympic gold medals on the slopes, and the respect is mutual.
Vonn told Swiatek her achievement was "So deserved!!", and Shiffrin posted: "Congrats Iga!!"
Former WTA number one Kim Clijsters, who was also 20 when she first hit the top spot in 2003, felt it was a natural next step for Swiatek to move up a rung and become the 28th top-ranked player in the tour's history. Swiatek will also be the first Pole to sit at the summit.
Clijsters said: "To see Iga grow as a tennis player, it has been so beautiful for me. There's a certain type of focus that is on tennis, and tennis only. There's a drive there that I admire very much – a drive that I recognise."
Belgian Clijsters, quoted on the WTA website, added: "She's had great results in the past, but she still wants to improve. We've seen others that kind of take a step back and say, 'Oh, I've won a slam now, I've made it. There's sponsors coming in and I get treated like a princess wherever I go'.
"Just because you’re the number one player and have won slams, doesn't mean you should treat other people differently. I feel like Ash Barty did that amazingly, and I think Iga has that focus, too."
Alcaraz beaten on Laver Cup debut with Zverev in doubles
Carlos Alcaraz suffered defeat on his Laver Cup debut, as he was beaten in straight sets alongside Alexander Zverev in doubles by Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Team Europe put up a strong fight but struggled to match Fritz and Shelton, who won 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in one hour and 37 minutes.
Alcaraz and Zverev made a slow start to the match, losing their serve in the fourth game as the Americans went on a three-game winning streak, but they pulled it back to level the tie, only to lose the tie-break.
Team Europe looked to have found their groove in the second set but failed to convert four break points in the fourth game as Fritz and Shelton levelled the score at 2-2.
A three-game winning run at the end of the set, including one more break, was enough to get Team World over the line, pulling them back to 2-2 at the end of day one.
Francisco Cerundolo had originally given Team World the lead with a shock win over Casper Ruud before Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov's wins had put Team Europe 2-1 up.
Kompany expected Olise's flying start to Bayern Munich career
Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany hailed Michael Olise's start to life with the 33-time Bundesliga champions despite his delayed start in Germany.
Olise, who arrived at the Allianz Arena for a reported £50.7million transfer fee, has four goal involvements (three goals and one assist) in all competitions so far.
The latest of which came on his Champions League debut in midweek, scoring twice in Bayern's 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday.
Olise's brace saw him become the third Frenchman to score two goals on his debut in the competition, after Thomas Deniaud in 1996 and Thierry Henry in 1997.
The 22-year-old's flying start comes after spending much of pre-season playing for France at the Paris Olympics, winning a silver medal at the Games.
"Well, for me, it wasn't that bad that he went to the Olympic tournament, because he arrived in really good shape at Bayern Munich," Kompany said.
"It's exactly what we were expecting. I think he's really playing a big role, which isn't easy when you've arrived in the Bundesliga and at a club like Bayern.
"He will take further steps.
"From my point of view, it's very positive, but I stay calm as well, because I know it's important to continue the way he does in order to experience good times."
Bayern return to Bundesliga action this weekend when they travel to the Weserstadion to face Weder Bremen, hoping to maintain their perfect start.
A win would see Kompany become the third Bayern head coach since 2000 to win their first four league games in charge (after Niko Kovac and Carlo Ancelotti).
This weekend's match will be the 115th Bundesliga meeting between Werder Bremen and FC Bayern, making it the most-played fixture in the division’s history.
Only Borussia Monchengladbach (28 times) have beaten Bayern more often than Werder have in the Bundesliga (27), and Kompany is expecting a tough test.
"Bayern against Bremen is a traditional fixture," Kompany added.
"When I played in the Bundesliga, it was a top-of-the-table clash. Bremen have produced a lot of great players.
"It's a special game tomorrow and that's how we'll prepare it."
Kompany was also able to provide an update on the fitness of Manuel Neuer after the veteran goalkeeper was substituted at half-time during Bayern's midweek win over Zagreb.
"Neuer should join training today and we'll decide after that. We'll discuss it together," Kompany said.
"We didn't want to take any risks against Zagreb but it looks good. There's no other news."
Federer hopes Nadal continues his career into 2025
Roger Federer believes it would be "phenomenal" if Rafael Nadal prolonged his career into 2025 but admits it is up to the Spaniard himself to make that choice.
Nadal last played at the Paris Olympics, where he competed in both singles and doubles, and has since ruled himself out of the US Open and Laver Cup.
It is still uncertain whether the 22-time grand slam champion will continue to play next season, but his long-time rival Federer would love for him to play on for just a bit longer.
When asked how he felt about Nadal pulling out of the Laver Cup, Federer told dta: "I really hoped he would somehow get a match in the end, but he just said he'd rather not do it, and that he doesn't feel ready.
"But he seems good. I think he just has to decide what to do next, and I think that's what he's going through at the moment. He's done everything for the sport.
"It would be phenomenal if he could go on for another season, but only Rafa himself can answer that. In the end, it might be helpful to make a decision at some point."
Furthermore, the eight-time Wimbledon champion still believes Novak Djokovic is one of the favourites for next year's Australian Open, despite the Serb not picking up a Grand Slam title this season for the first time since 2017.
He said: "Novak, winning the Olympics and playing somewhat, let's say a full season - he didn't bow out because of injuries, he chose to play less, which is normal when you get a bit older.
"I feel like he has chances moving forward. I look forward to Australia, which is the next Slam. I think [Novak is] definitely going to be one of the favourites along with [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz."
Djokovic is a 10-time champion in Melbourne but fell to defeat against Jannik Sinner in this year's semi-finals.
His next event will be at the Shanghai Masters, which commences on October 2.
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