'NOT EVEN CLOSE': OUTLANDISH JOHN MCENROE COMMENT MOCKED AFTER COMPARING NADAL
- Christian Montegan
- Jun 9
- 2 min read

Outspoken seven-time major champion John McEnroe has ignited debate amongst tennis fans following his comparison between Rafael Nadal and the current top-two players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The Roland-Garros final between Alcaraz and Sinner was dubbed one of the greatest matches of all time, as the latter failed to convert three straight championship points in a five-hour and 29-minute epic.
But given McEnroe shared his controversial take before the decider played out, it was twice as strange.
Featuring in a cameo on the desk for TNT Sports, the 66-year-old turned heads when he mentioned the two finalists in the same breath as Nadal.
"The other part that I think is really important for people to realise, and I know this is semi-crazy to say this because we just watched the three greatest players that ever lived over the course of the last 20 years — Roger, Rafa and Novak," he said.
"These two guys [Sinner and Alcaraz] to me, you look at those guys and if you took at look at them bringing their A-game right now and I'm saying Sinner and Alcaraz against Rafael Nadal on clay... you would make a serious argument with both guys; they would be favoured to beat Nadal at his best."
Fair to say, his opinion sparked outrage on social media, with one person replying: "I'm a Nole fan and after this comment, I have zero interest in anything else John McEnroe has to say. He cannot be taken seriously."
"They are not even close to Nadal's best," another fan mentioned, while McEnroe's stance was called out as "recency bias".
Nadal won a record 14 Roland-Garros titles and is highly regarded as 'The King of Clay', so much so that the tournament honoured the Spaniard by creating a plaque of his footprint which will remain on Court Philippe-Chatrier for life.
Play USA Tennis Pathways supports athletes who want to go down the college pathway, assisting players to get recruited to a college that meets their academic and athletic goals. If you are a player, parent, or coach and are interested in the college pathway in the United States, contact Lachlan Puyol at playusatennispathways@gmail.com

https://pg88.bz/ là địa chỉ hợp pháp hàng đầu dành cho người yêu giải trí.
Mọi thành viên đều được bảo vệ quyền lợi toàn diện.
SHBET là thương hiệu giải trí trực tuyến hàng đầu, mang đến trải nghiệm cá cược minh bạch, an toàn và đa dạng cho người chơi.
SHBET là nhà cái trực tuyến uy tín, cung cấp đa dạng sản phẩm giải trí và dịch vụ cá cược hấp dẫn hàng đầu châu Á.
SHBET là một nền tảng giải trí trực tuyến đa dạng, cung cấp nhiều sản phẩm như thể thao, game bài, xổ số và các trò chơi trực tuyến hấp dẫn.
Wow, McEnroe really knows how to stir up debates 😅. Comparing Alcaraz and Sinner to Nadal on clay is bold, but saying they’d be favored over Rafa at his peak feels like a stretch. Nadal’s dominance at Roland-Garros is legendary and unmatched — 14 titles don’t lie. Alcaraz and Sinner are incredible talents, no doubt, but Nadal at his best on clay is another level entirely.
It’s kind of like when I try to take my online class and think I’m doing great until I realize the "professor Nadal" of tough assignments is still unbeatable. Great players can emerge, but legends are in a league of their own.