Aryna Sabalenka is the new US Open champion, having dethroned Coco Gauff by beating her compatriot, Jessica Pegula, in the final.
It was an emphatic run to the title for the Belarusian, who was always going to come into the event as the hot favourite. However, living up to such expectations is never as easy as it may seem.
That being said, some pushback was expected from the field, particularly Iga Swiatek as the top seed.
And yet, her performances were wholly underwhelming.
John McEnroe reflects on Iga Swiatek’s US Open campaign
Speaking to Tennis365 at a Eurosport event, John McEnroe admitted to being surprised by Novak Djokovic first before then moving on to the women’s number one.
Swiatek, who also suffered an early exit in the US Open, really disappointed, and even led the American to question one area of her game: ‘One issue for me is she doesn’t want to play defence at all.
‘At times, she should pull back when the offence isn’t going as well as it can do on clay. She keeps trying to hit out, which is somewhat surprising for someone who prefers a slower surface.
‘I was a little surprised that she is either unwilling or unable to make adjustments on the faster surfaces.
‘I don’t know if she had a dip in confidence, but if you saw someone like Iga digging in and defending as well as she attacks, that would be hard opponents to overcome.
‘I’m a little surprised she has not made that adjustment, but she is young. Hopefully she can make that adjustment and improve a little at the net.’
Iga Swiatek is being chased down by Aryna Sabalenka
It’s fair to say that, after a really strong 2024 thus far, Sabalenka is breathing down Swiatek’s neck for that world number-one spot.
And whilst on paper she is still a good 2000 rankings points away from the Polish powerhouse, the US Open champion is swiftly establishing herself as a threat on all courts.
Meanwhile, it’s not unfair to suggest that Swiatek is not nearly as strong on hard or grass courts as she is on clay, where she is truly dominant.
Sabalenka, on the other hand, will go into next year’s Wimbledon as a huge favourite, and were it not for a shoulder injury, would likely have cleaned up in a field that was completely unpredictable and lacking one outstanding player.
By this time next year, it’ll be really interesting to see how those rankings points have shifted, and whether it is still Swiatek sitting at the throne.
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