Coco Gauff<\/a> then capped off an impressive clay swing with a maiden French Open crown, before Iga Swiatek<\/a> became the first Pole to win a Wimbledon singles championship. <\/p>\n After watching Sabalenka win the US Open<\/a> for the second consecutive year, ATP legend Jimmy Connors<\/a> says he has noticed a \u2018big\u2019 difference in women\u2019s tennis compared to previous years.<\/p>\n Speaking on the \u2018Advantage Connors\u2019 podcast, the eight-time major champion said: \u201cAfter 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are not afraid to take a rip at it and go for their shots, no matter where they are in the court.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big difference between then and now. It\u2019s 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].<\/p>\n \u201cAnd 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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\u2019t miss a ball.<\/p>\n \u201cI could not hit the ball hard enough or deep enough to really miss a ball. So what was that? The court was slow?<\/p>\n \u201cEven 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 \u2018oh wait, I have time\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the violence of which they swing is something that I really could not get into my head.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I wanted to watch Djokovic play, because he\u2019s 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\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n Connors\u2019 observation is certainly true of Sabalenka, who, in 2024, recorded a phenomenal statistic at the US Open.<\/p>\n Throughout the tournament at Flushing Meadows that year, the Belarusian tallied a higher average forehand speed than some of the biggest stars in men\u2019s tennis. <\/p>\n Player Average Forehand SpeedAryna Sabalenka80mphCarlos Alcaraz79mphJannik Sinner78mphNovak Djokovic76mphAverage forehand speed at the 2024 US Open (miles per hour)<\/p>\n Sabalenka was striking the ball harder on her forehand side than Carlos Alcaraz<\/a>, Jannik Sinner<\/a>, and Novak Djokovic<\/a>. <\/p>\n![\"Aryna](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2234357531-1024x709.jpg\")
Photo by Elsa\/Getty ImagesJimmy Connors highlights a big difference in women\u2019s tennis today <\/p>\n![\"Novak](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2232778721-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Mike Stobe\/Getty ImagesThe ball speed statistic that Aryna Sabalenka topped men\u2019s players in<\/p>\n