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‘Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner would beat Rafael Nadal at his peak in French Open’: John McEnroe
Speaking on TNT Sports, McEnroe lavished praise on the new generation of stars and made a bold comparison to the all-time greats.
Tennis legend John McEnroe has sparked fresh debate in the tennis world by claiming that current stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could be favoured to beat Rafael Nadal at his peak on clay—an extraordinary statement considering Nadal’s unparalleled dominance at Roland Garros. McEnroe's comments before Alcaraz and Sinner played out one of the best Grand Slam finals in the open era added more value to his prediction skills.
Alcaraz registered a thrilling five-set victory over World No. 1 Sinner in the French Open final on Sunday after coming back from 0-2 down.
Speaking on TNT Sports, McEnroe lavished praise on the new generation of stars and made a bold comparison to the all-time greats.
“You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best,” McEnroe said. “The tennis level right now is higher than I've ever seen.”
Nadal has won a record 14 French Open titles and holds a staggering 112-4 career record at Roland Garros. His combination of relentless athleticism, clay-court mastery, and unmatched mental toughness has long been regarded as unassailable on the Parisian red dirt. But McEnroe believes that the quality of tennis currently being played by world No. 1 Sinner and three-time major winner Alcaraz has set a new bar.
“Do I think they're gonna reach 20, 24 [Grand Slam titles], either one of them? No, because that plateau is so hard,” McEnroe continued, referencing the staggering tallies achieved by Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic. “But these two guys right now, it’s like when you watch the NBA and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan.”
Alcaraz’s win on Sunday was a testament to the Spaniard’s resilience and athleticism. Down two sets to love, he fought off three championship points against Sinner before coming back to win 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) in the longest final in French Open history. Sinner, who had already claimed the Australian Open and US Open, was aiming for his third straight Grand Slam title.
“These two kids have grown into incredible tennis players,” McEnroe said. “They’re fine young men and a credit to our game.”
The seven-time Grand Slam champion added that while Alcaraz and Sinner now form a compelling rivalry, the men's game needs one or two more young stars to fully capture global attention.
“The third guy, to me it should be either Jack Draper or Ben Shelton. Francis Tiafoe may be a little bit old,” he said. “In order for the sport to expand to that next level on the men's side, we need that other guy, possibly a fourth. We need a guy or two more to make it even more interesting.”
McEnroe compared the current landscape to the tennis era he emerged from, when Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors dominated headlines and provided benchmarks for rising players. He noted that even Novak Djokovic began his career in the shadow of Federer and Nadal, using their success to fuel his own rise.
With Alcaraz and Sinner now firmly established as generational talents, McEnroe believes a new golden era is dawning—one with the potential, he says, to eclipse even the most legendary names in the sport’s history.
