Emma Raducanu is playing better tennis now than when she won the US Open last year, according to six-time major champion Kim Clijsters.
British number one Raducanu enjoyed a meteoric rise at Flushing Meadows last year, becoming the first qualifier to win a grand slam as she claimed an unexpected victory in New York.
She reeled off 10 straight matches without dropping a single set, overcoming the likes of Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari before seeing off Leylah Fernandez in the final.
Difficult form and injuries have prevented the 19-year-old from truly building on the momentum of that triumph, though, with the world number 11 boasting a modest 13-15 record in her first full year on the tour.
Nevertheless, she claimed notable victories over Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka in Cincinnati last week ahead of her US Open title defence, which begins against Alize Cornet in the opening round.
And former world number one Clijsters empathises with Raducanu, who she feels needs time to adjust to life in the higher echelons of the sport.
"She's already done a lot more in the lead-up to the US Open than she did last year, she has beaten a lot of good players," Clijsters told Reuters.
"She is maturing as a tennis player. I think her tennis is better now than it was when she won the US Open.
"When you have such a life-changing experience – and I'm not talking about what happens on the court, but everything else that gets added to that, even if she doesn't change, people around you change.
"People look at you differently. People on the tour look at you differently, whether she goes to a tournament in Luxembourg, or in Australia. Everybody knows her.
"Those big changes in life take time to get used to. It's so unrealistic the expectations that are on her because when you play a sport, you go out there and you have an opponent who's trying to win just as hard as you."
While Clijsters believes the teenager would do well to successfully defend her title, the three-time US Open winner is confident she will embrace the challenge.
"Is she going to win the US Open? It would be incredible if she did, but there's a lot of other players out there who have just as much chance as her," said Clijsters, whose last US Open success came in 2010.
"So, it will just be a matter of seeing whether she deals with that emotion of being at the slam and the expectations of it? She might be super excited to be there, and then play really free and without any pressure."
Keys downs Gauff to reach Madrid Open quarter-finals
Madison Keys is through to the quarter-final of the Madrid Open for the first time in her career after rallying to a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff on Monday.
The 29-year-old trailed 5-2 in the first set and 4-2 in the third set but rallied in both to come from behind to beat the number three seed.
Despite winning the second set, Gauff struggled to find her rhythm, suffering from 13 double faults, including two in the final game.
Keys will face former Madrid Open champion Ons Jabeur for a spot in the semi-final after the number eight seed overcame Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
Data debrief: Keys reaches new milestone
Having lost in the first round in seven of her nine previous trips to the Spanish capital, Keys has now bettered her previous best finish in Madrid - a third-round showing in 2016.
Keys hadn't won three matches in a row since reaching the US Open semifinals last year.
Keys downs Gauff to reach Madrid quarter-finals
Madison Keys is through to the quarter-final of the Madrid Open for the first time in her career after rallying to a 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 win over Coco Gauff on Monday.
The 29-year-old trailed 5-2 in the first set and 4-2 in the third set but rallied in both to come from behind to beat the number three seed.
Despite winning the second set, Gauff struggled to find her rhythm, suffering from 13 double faults, including two in the final game.
Keys will face former Madrid Open champion Ons Jabeur for a spot in the semi-final after the number eight seed overcame Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets.
Data debrief: Keys reaches new milestone
Having lost in the first round in seven of her nine previous trips to the Spanish capital, Keys has now bettered her previous best finish in Madrid - a third-round showing in 2016.
Keys hadn't won three matches in a row since reaching the US Open semifinals last year.
Nadal goes the distance to reach Madrid Open last 16
Rafael Nadal battled to victory over three hours on the court against Pedro Cachin at the Madrid Open on Monday to seal a 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win to reach the last 16.
The former world number one looked back to his best as he cruised through the opening set but was pushed hard in the second by Cachin.
Nadal came from behind to level at 5-5, but Cachin eventually sealed the set on his third set point.
The Spaniard then rallied in the third set, cutting down on his errors to regain control and advance to the fourth round at a tour-level event for the first time since 2022.
Nadal is one step away from booking his place in a 10th consecutive quarter-final in Madrid and will face Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday in the next round after the 30th seed overcame Brazilian qualifier Thiago Monteiro in two sets.
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