John McEnroe explains why Aryna Sabalenka is ‘desperate’ to notch up one particular achievement

John McEnroe believes it would be “absolutely amazing” if Aryna Sabalenka can get the No 1 monkey off her back following her lengthy tussle with Iga Swiatek.

Although it is not in her own hands, Sabalenka is once again within touching distance of becoming No 1 for the first time in her career as she can replace Swiatek at the top of the WTA Rankings after the US Open.

If Swiatek fails to successfully defend her title at Flushing Meadows, then all the Belarusian needs to do is equal her result to top the rankings after the season-ending Grand Slam.

The second seed reached the fourth round in New York on Saturday with an impressive 6-1, 6-1 win over Clara Burel and tennis great McEnroe feels the No 1 ranking is weighing on Sabalenka’s mind.

“I think she can’t help but think about it because people bring it up,” he told Eurosport. “I think she was a match away at Roland Garros, if she had won that semi-final match that could have put her temporarily at No 1.

“Her and Iga have been going back and forth for quite a while in terms of the rankings. She’s desperate to try and get over the hump and finally at least call herself at some point the No 1-ranked player in the world. It would be absolutely amazing.”

Sabalenka missed out on the No 1 spot at the French Open after she was stunned by Karolina Muchova in the last four while Swiatek went on to defend her title in Paris.

She played down suggestions before the US Open that talk about the No 1 ranking was a distraction, saying: “This is not something I’m really thinking during the tournament, during the matches.

“I mean, I know that I had and probably I have opportunity to become world No 1, but there is still a lot of job to be done. I’m, like, focusing on myself more than on the ranking.”

With or without the No 1 ranking, the 2023 season has still been a remarkable one for Sabalenka as not too many predicted she would win the Australian Open on the back of a disappointing 2022 campaign.

McEnroe believes the old adage that confidence breeds success is very much at play for Sabalenka.

“Considering where she was a couple of years ago when she had the yips, and you’re wondering if she could ever get that serve together, I think it’s amazing what Sabalenka has done,” the American said.

“Winning the Australian Open, she feels so much more confident and believes in herself now. You can feel it.”

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