Four-time US Open champion John McEnroe has warned British number one Andy Murray that he will be a man with a target on his back at the upcoming Grand Slam in New York City.
Murray has not had the best preparation for the Grand Slam which gets underway next week and McEnroe believes he will need to be wary of his competition.
The 54-year-old insists that as the reigning champion he will come under a kind of pressure he is yet to experience during his professional career.
The Brit now boasts two major titles after also collecting the Wimbledon crown during the summer with a stand-out performance against world number one Novak Djokovic in the final.
The 27-year-old has made it to the final of his last four major events but cannot say the same about his preparation since Wimbledon which has seen him fail to make it past the quarter-finals.
The Olympic champion remains in with a chance of ending the year at the top of the world rankings but he will face stiff competition at Flushing Meadows in Queens after falling to world number three behind Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
McEnroe said: “On the one hand he’s done it, so that’s amazing.
“On the other hand, you’re the hunted more than you were in the past.
“This is the first shot where Murray’s got a legitimate chance to finish number one and be number one for the year if he can get two majors.
“So that’s a different type of approach and people are going to be gunning for him even more. I think he’s found that a little bit since playing Wimbledon.”
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