Jimmy Connors thinks Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka possess a quality which spells trouble for their rivals.
The World number one and the Belarusian claimed both the Australian and US Open titles on the ATP and WTA Tours respectively.
The pair won their separate finals in New York in straight sets to lift their second major title of the season.
Both players made their breakthrough in 2023 and have made significant progress in 2024, and they now aim to finish the season on a positive note.
Which trait has Jimmy Connors spotted in Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka’s game?
Jannik Sinner was one of the US Open tournament favourites along with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, while Aryna Sabalenka was the frontrunner for the women’s title. The Italian became the clear favourite following the Spaniard and Olympic champion’s early exits.
He was rarely in any trouble and stormed through the campaign as Sinner dropped just two sets throughout the entire campaign.
Sabalenka rediscovered her best form by winning the Cincinnati Open before the US Open and she carried that form into Flushing Meadows where she lost just one set all tournament.
While Connors assessed Sinner and Sabalenka’s US Open performances, he thinks he has seen a change in the player’s mindset and approach to matches, which will make them even tougher to beat.
“Jannik Sinner and Sabalenka now have a fear factor, other players fear them. That means they will start winning matches before they even step on the court,” Connors said on the latest episode of his ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast.
“Confidence is: ‘I will play against you for five hours if necessary, no matter what it takes, you have to find a way to beat me because I will not beat myself’. To me, that is what great players work for.
“They have the game, the mentality and everything it takes to win matches, but they have that little something extra that makes their opponent know they have to kill them to beat them. That is something special and I think both Sinner and Sabalenka have that now. It is really special.”
How many titles have Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka won in 2024?
Sinner’s US Open win marked his sixth title in what has been the best season of his career so far.
His success in New York marked his latest triumph in 2024 along with his Australian Open title and success in Rotterdam, Miami, Halle and Cincinnati.
Sabalenka’s run to the US Open title was her third championship win of the year, each of which came on hard courts.
There was a seven-month gap between defending the Australian Open crown and claiming the Cincinnati Open title in the buildup to winning in New York.
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