Jimmy Connors tells Aryna Sabalenka what she must do if she wants to win the US Open this year

Aryna Sabalenka is set to commence the defence of her US Open title.

A year ago, the Belarusian defeated home favourite Jessica Pegula to triumph at Flushing Meadows for the first time in her career.

Since then, the world number one has not tasted any more glory at the majors and is in danger of going through the 2025 season without adding to her collection.

Sabalenka will enter the US Open without winning a title since the Madrid Open in May, and she will need to be at her best in New York with plenty of players coming for her crown.

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Jimmy Connors says Aryna Sabalenka needs to ‘clear her mind’ ahead of the US Open

Aryna Sabalenka has not dominated the WTA Tour in 2025 the same way she did in 2024.

The 27-year-old still has three titles to her name this season, but she suffered four defeats in finals, including against Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at Roland Garros.

Sabalenka lost to Amanda Anisimova at Wimbledon in another devastating blow, and she has played just four matches since that semifinal defeat at SW19.

While discussing Sabalenka’s chances of defending the US Open title, Jimmy Connors, a five-time champion in New York, says she needs to put her Grand Slam results this season out of her mind and just focus on the US Open.

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“She has to get those whispers out of her mind. She has to forget and tune out what every little whisper is saying. ‘Oh she has lost three finals’ and ‘she should have won this’. That is all history. That is over now,” Connors said on his ‘Advantage’ podcast.

“What she does now is that she has to take care of her business now at this moment and clear her mind and go and play her kind of tennis.

“Iga is on a roll. She won Wimbledon and just seemed to appear there. And she won Cincy on hard courts, so she is coming into the US Open with a lot of confidence. And there is no substitute for that, the only thing that breeds confidence is winning.”

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Aryna Sabalenka aims to become first woman to defend US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014

Sabalenka won the third Grand Slam title of her career when she captured the 2024 US Open championship.

She will now aim for her fourth major and should she succeed, the Belarusian will become the first woman since Serena Williams to successfully defend the American Grand Slam.

While speaking to reporters ahead of the tournament, Sabalenka is very keen to do just that. “My thought is to change that,” she said.

“But, wow, that’s insane, you know, how unpredictable women’s tennis is, right? Should we change it? Should we try at least to change it?

“I think it’s a lot of pressure, definitely. Just because this place is so big, and it feels bigger than the other Slams in some ways.

“Maybe every time defending champions come and they put so much pressure on themselves. But I feel like I’m experienced enough to just focus on myself and try to replicate that result.”

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