"Thank you for paving the way for female athletes" - Mikaela Shiffrin expresses gratitude as she meets Billie Jean King at the US Open Finals

Mikaela Shiffrin, the winningest alpine skier of all time, has been frequenting other sporting events, the most recent being the 2024 US Open women's and men's singles finals in Flushing Meadows, New York. Where she got the opportunity to cross paths with one of the legends of the game—Bille Jean King.

Shiffrin concluded her 2023/24 Alpine Skiing World Cup by extending her win tally to 97. Her achievement earned her the honor of being one of the greatest alpine skiers, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark and Lindsey Vonn in World Cup standings.

Ahead of the 2024/25 alpine skiing season, the 28-year-old was in attendance at the 2024 US Open to watch the US players (Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz) fight for the champion's spot.

Mikaela Shiffrin bumped into the revolutionary former tennis player, Billie Jean King, at the latter's eponymous venue, Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The two-time Olympic gold medalist expressed gratitude to King for paving the way for women athletes in the male-dominated sporting world, as evident in her X post.

"Amazing to meet @BillieJeanKing finally…what an inspiration! Billie: Thank you for paving the way for female athletes with everything you have done, and continue to do," her caption read.

King rallied to bring equal pay for men and women in sports. She became the first female athlete to earn $100,000 in prize money but received $15,000 less than the male winner at the 1972 US Open. After her protests to equalize the pay, the US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal pay since 1973.

Billie Jean King also founded the Women's Tennis Association and became the union president in 1973.

Mikaela Shiffrin recently congratulated World No. 1 Iga Swiatek on her French Open win

Since their first Instagram live in 2021, Shiffrin and Swiatek have been supporting each other through social media posts. In an interview with Eurosport, Mikaela Shiffrin once expressed admiration for the Pole's tennis skills and drew an association with the legendary Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"I love how she plays tennis; her style is so beautiful. It's methodical and beautiful at the same time. It reminds me of [Rafael] Nadal or [Roger] Federer."

Cut to 2024, when Swiatek bagged her fifth Grand Slam title by winning the French Open from match point down, Mikaela Shiffrin took to her X and wrote:

"and again! Congrats, @iga_swiatek"

The Pole's mental coach, Daria Abramowicz, asked her to 'be like Mikaela' when she was on her way to win the first Grand Slam of her career at 19.