Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka will be under a lot of pressure at the US Open, according to former player John McEnroe.
McEnroe has been at the US Open for many years, watching the action closely from the stands. The American watched Iga Swiatek produce a really strong effort to take down Ons Jabeur in the final and win the trophy last year.
She's not arriving in New York with the same level, showing a lot of vulnerability this year. It's not just earlier this year but also recently, as we have several players who bested her, including Coco Gauff, who previously couldn't win a single set against the Pole. Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe reflected on Swiatek's previous dominance.
The dominance is extremely hard to keep up obviously. You saw three male players share everything. Rafa, Novak and Roger. This whole situation was unusual from the beginning because Ash Barty retired and all of a sudden Swiatek was anointed No. 1.
She did an incredible job for a while and then she proved she could win on hard court surfaces. Now obviously there is a lot more expected and more pressure. For the most part she's done a great job. The fact that she is No. 1 obviously with other players it would be a huge win to beat her.
When it comes to Sabalenka, McEnroe noted that she seems far more confident in her game than in the previous year but you still can't be sure with her. She will have more pressure as a Grand Slam winner, that's for sure.
Sabalenka came through and won her first major [2023 Australian Open] so she's more confident than ever. But it's still pretty unpredictable what is going to happen. Some of it is going to depend on the draw and see what plays out. Both players will feel that pressure to finish that tournament and year as No. 1 so this tournament could determine the No.1 ranking which is exciting for the sport."
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