Tennis legend Jimmy Connors has made his feelings known on Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s chances of winning at the 2025 US Open which starts on August 24th. Sabalenka will face Rebeka Masarova in her opening match, while Swiatek will play against Emiliana Arango.
Sabalenka is the defending US Open champion, and will look to retain her title at Flushing Meadows. But Swiatek is currently on a hot streak after winning the Cincinnati Open and Wimbledon.
On the Advantage Connors podcast, Jimmy Connors stated that Aryna Sabalenka should be wary about the form Iga Swiatek is in.
“She’s got to get those little whispers out of her mind. She’s gotta forget and tune out every little whisper saying, ‘Oh, she’s lost 3 finals’ or ‘She should’ve won this’. That’s all history. That’s all over now. What she does now, she’s got to take care of business now, at this moment, and clear her mind and play her kind of tennis.”
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"Because you're right, Iga is on a new roll. She won Wimbledon, she kinda disappeared there for a while. She won in Cincinnati on hard court. She's coming into the US Open with a lot of confidence, winning Wimbledon, winning Cincinnati, it's a confidence builder. There's no substitute for that. The only thing that breeds confidence is winning, and it seems like she's on a roll."
Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are regarded as two of the best tennis players in the world at the moment. The former has three singles Grand Slams to her name, while the latter has won six Majors in her career. Sabalenka won the US Open last year by defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.
Sabalenka and Swiatek have faced each other on 13 occasions, with the Pole winning eight times compared to the Belarusian's five. They last played against each other at the French Open this year, where Sabalenka won in three sets.
Aryna Sabalenka promotes new Nike tennis shoes ahead of US Open
Aryna Sabalenka promoted the new Nike Shox Z tennis shoes ahead of the US Open with a post on Instagram. Nike shared a post on Instagram in collaboration with the World No.1. The post was captioned:
"NYC streets. Grand Slam energy. @arynasabalenka arrives in style wearing the new Shox Z."
Sabalenka has been with Nike since the start of her pro career, with the brand designing her own custom line of garments after the 2023 US Open.
