John McEnroe picks his US Open favourite from Iga Switaek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff
John McEnroe does not believe Iga Swiatek is the favourite to win the US Open, as he believes freshness could be the key to success in New York.
World No 1 Swiatek is tough to beat when she is at her best, yet the Polish star admitted she was jaded as she lost against big rival Aryna Sabalenka in the Cincinnati Open semi-finals.
Sabalenka went on to lift that title and after missing Wimbledon due to injury and opting out of playing at the Olympics, McEnroe believes the Belarusian star may be the player to beat at the US Open.
With defending champion Coco Gauff has been struggling for form, Sabalenka looks well placed to challenge for her first US Open after a series of dominant displays saw her ease to victory in her warm-up event in Cincinnati.
“Sabalenka didn’t play at Wimbledon or the Olympics and that is one of the reasons why I say she is a player to watch at the US Open,” said McEnroe, who will be a Eurosport at the US Open.
“She is a little fresher than the players who went from clay courts at Roland Garros, onto the grass at Wimbledon, back to the clay at the Olympics and now onto hard courts in a few weeks.
“To me, if I had to pick a winner now, then I would be swaying towards her.
“Then you look at Coco and she has not been playing well, but she will have the crowd behind her and that can be massive in New York.
“We don’t know where Iga is and how much she has left in the tank and then you look at (Elena) Rybakina and this looks like being a good court for her, medium to fast. All of them could win and it’s difficult to say what we can expect.
“Then you look at Wimbledon and we had a surprise winner and something like that could happen again.”
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McEnroe believes French Open champion Swiatek needs to add layers to her game to cement her position as the world No 1, as he believes the Polish star is still a work in progress despite her incredible success.
“First of all, she is a great player, I have to say that” added McEnroe. “I would say her game is more suited to a slower court, a clay court or a slower hard court.
“This court is playing pretty quick at the US Open, so that will be a challenge for her.
“I don’t see her changing her game too much. I don’t see her coming to the net or shaking it up. She hasn’t had to do that so far because she is winning so much.
“She is better than everyone on the clay and I’m sure she is working on elements of her game. She looks like she has a great team around her and she will be looking to add to her game, as all great players do.
“I think she has got a little more on her serve and volleying is something she needs to work on. That isn’t her game necessarily.
“Also she said in Cincinnati she was tired. Scheduling has been a debate in tennis forever and it’s hard to know the answer.
“The players shouldn’t be forced to play tournaments, in my opinion. They say they have to play certain tournaments, but it shouldn’t be like that.
“At the end of my career, I didn’t want to play 20 or 30 tournaments. I wanted to play 10 or 12, but tennis is political at times and the players have to play.”
Fans across Europe can watch the US Open on Eurosport and Max (excludes Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and Ireland)
