Aryna Sabalenka will once again head into this Grand Slam as one of the favourites, but her dominance has waned a little as the year has gone on.
After all, it marks her last chance to claim silverware of this magnitude, having slipped up in the final of the Australian Open before blowing a one-set lead in the final of Roland Garros, too.
Wimbledon was a little more tumultuous, as her entire run had been littered with questionable performances, so that when she lost in the semi-finals, the reaction was not as monumental as it could have been.
The Belarusian has deservedly spent all year as the world number one, but without a Grand Slam title, her lofty lead at the top of the rankings has started to get chopped down.
This US Open marks her last chance to solidify that spot and taste the glory that her year has deserved.
Aryna Sabalenka explains why the US Open is so important for her
Speaking to the press, they actually sought to ask Aryna Sabalenka how it might feel if she were to fail in her title defence, and thus go an entire year without winning a major title.
However, she first answered a question about why she likes the US Open so much: “How important is it? Pretty important (smiling). As I said, being defending champion is an amazing feeling. Gives you a lot of great vibes and a lot of excitement going into the tournament.
“So it’s a very important tournament for me. Last slam of the year. I learned a lot of tough lessons this season on the Grand Slams. I really hope for the best here at the US Open, knowing how much I love playing here, knowing how much of the support I feel.
“It’s an amazing place. I really hope I’ll do my best here.”
Sabalenka then sought to rate her season, regardless of whether she wins this major or not: “Well, of course, ideally I would love to finish the season with a Grand Slam and world No. 1. But I think if this goal not gonna be achieved, I’ll still think that this season been really amazing for me. All of those tough lessons that I learned this season only going to make me stronger for the next one.
“I’ll work even harder in the preseason to make sure next year going to be a year of success, like truly success.”
Sabalenka would join an unwanted list if she fails to win the US Open, that includes some legendary names like John McEnroe and Lindsay Davenport.
How Aryna Sabalenka is hoping to copy Serena Williams
Sabalenka will be hoping to complete a feat that, on both the men’s and women’s side, has actually proved rather difficult over the last decade.
After all, for whatever reason, very few players have managed to defend their titles.
If the 27-year-old were to successfully win the US Open, she would become the first woman to have done so since Serena Williams in 2014
Photo by DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
For the men, you have to delve back even further, to when Roger Federer won five in a row from 2004 to 2008.
What Sabalenka is seeking to do is no easy feat, and she should not be lambasted should she fail to do it.