The 2025 WTA season has been an enthralling one so far, displaying world-class tennis and shocking triumphs.
There has been a different winner at each of the four Grand Slams, the first of which was Madison Keys, who upset defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to secure her first major title at the Australian Open.
Coco Gauff then capped off an impressive clay swing with a maiden French Open crown, before Iga Swiatek became the first Pole to win a Wimbledon singles championship.
After watching Sabalenka win the US Open for the second consecutive year, ATP legend Jimmy Connors says he has noticed a ‘big’ difference in women’s tennis compared to previous years.
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesJimmy Connors highlights a big difference in women’s tennis today
Speaking on the ‘Advantage Connors’ podcast, the eight-time major champion said: “After watching the matches live, the semis and the finals of the US Open live. I think the men play violent tennis, the way that they swing at the ball and go after it. But the women are the same.
“They are not afraid to take a rip at it and go for their shots, no matter where they are in the court.
“That’s a big difference between then and now. It’s that if they are five or six feet behind the baseline or four feet outside the doubles lines, the kind of shots they can produce with the racket and the strings [are so different].
“And look at the kids. They are all big! Even the ladies. They are 6ft, big and strong. So the guys can rip the ball, but the women are right along with them. And getting that little extra top spin and being able to swing that hard with a light racket.
“I got down and played some tennis on the Centre Court of the US Open. I am a shadow of my former self, but the end result was that I couldn’t miss a ball.
“I could not hit the ball hard enough or deep enough to really miss a ball. So what was that? The court was slow?
“Even at my age, I was playing against Andy Roddick and Pat Rafter, guys who have won the US Open and are still young and able to hit with pace and move and the ball was coming to me, and I was going ‘oh wait, I have time’.
“But the violence of which they swing is something that I really could not get into my head.
“That’s why I wanted to watch Djokovic play, because he’s not that player; this is another generation after him, even now. His strokes were more about taking the ball early and taking time away. It’s crazy.”
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty ImagesThe ball speed statistic that Aryna Sabalenka topped men’s players in
Connors’ observation is certainly true of Sabalenka, who, in 2024, recorded a phenomenal statistic at the US Open.
Throughout the tournament at Flushing Meadows that year, the Belarusian tallied a higher average forehand speed than some of the biggest stars in men’s tennis.
Player Average Forehand SpeedAryna Sabalenka80mphCarlos Alcaraz79mphJannik Sinner78mphNovak Djokovic76mphAverage forehand speed at the 2024 US Open (miles per hour)
Sabalenka was striking the ball harder on her forehand side than Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic.
Such speed saw her hoist her first title in New York, beating Jessica Pegula in the final.