"Now obviously there is a lot more expected": McEnroe believes Swiatek is finally feeling the pressure going into US Open

John McEnroe commented on the immense pressure that surrounds Iga Swiatek as the US Open is about to begin.

The 22-year-old Polish tennis player will start her journey in the US Open after facing defeats in the last two weeks against American players Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff, both in semifinal matches.

"The dominance is extremely hard to keep up obviously," said McEnroe about Swiatek.

"You saw three male players share everything. Rafa, Novak and Roger. This whole situation was unusual from the beginning because Ash Barty retired and all of a sudden Swiatek was anointed No. 1.”

Barty's retirement from professional tennis came after a consecutive 114-week reign as the leader of the rankings. Iga Swiatek's excellent start to the 2022 season allowed her to take over the top position.

"She did an incredible job for a while and then she proved she could win on hard court surfaces. Now obviously there is a lot more expected and more pressure. For the most part she's done a great job. The fact that she is No. 1 obviously with other players it would be a huge win to beat her.

"People in the America are hoping that players like Pegula, very consistent, and Gauff, she's got incredible upside, that was the first time that she had even won a set off her in eight or nine times.

McEnroe commented on the court conditions at Flushing Meadows and how they could impact Swiatek’s game.

"I think the court from what I heard was playing pretty quick [in Cincinnati]. I'm not exactly sure what it's going to be at the US Open.”

"If it's slower the court would help her a little bit. If it's faster it would probably help some of the other players a little more. That remains to be seen but I think overall she's doing a great job," he added

Former world No. 1 also commented on Sabalenka and the possibility of her taking the top ranking from Swiatek:

"Sabalenka came through and won her first major so she's more confident than ever," he said.

"But it's still pretty unpredictable what is going to happen. Some of it is going to depend on the draw and see what plays out. Both players will feel that pressure to finish that tournament and year as No. 1 so this tournament could determine the No.1 ranking which is exciting for the sport."