John McEnroe claims that Carlos Alcaraz and Giannik Thinner’s tennis levels are so high that he will be his favorite to beat Rafael Nadal “at his best.”
Alcaraz and the Sinner delivered one of the best finals of all time at the French Open on Sunday as the Spaniards won their fifth grand slam out of their rivals in a five-set thriller. The 23-year-old Alkaraz elder, the sinner already has two slams in his name, and the pair has won seven of the past eight majors.
Nadal continued to claim 22 major titles (including Roland Garros’ record 14) in a notable career that ended last November.
However, McEnroe, who won seven Grand Slam single titles in his career and is now a television analyst, said, “I’ve seen that it brings A Game Now. I’m saying that against Nadal of Clay there will be serious arguments with both people that sinners and Alcaraz prefer to defeat Nadal.
“Do you think you’ll get to one of 20 or 24 titles? No. I think Plateau is very difficult. I think it’s almost impossible. There’s more depth to the game, bigger batsmen, and more.
“But these two guys are like people who now look at the NBA and say they’re not better than Michael Jordan. The tennis levels right now are higher than I’ve ever seen.”
In the first major final between two men born in the 2000s, Alcaraz saved three match points on his way to victory 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), and 7-6 (10-2) and continued his domination over the sinners. He also finished the Italians’ winning runs in 20 Grand Slam matches.
“I’m so happy to be able to make history with you in this tournament,” Alkaraz told Sinner.
“I’m sure you’ll be a champion once and again, and it’s a privilege to share the courts with you in every tournament and make history with you.”