It is time to start taking Paul McNamee’s prediction serious about Carlos Alcaraz after second French Open title

Carlos Alcaraz delivered a performance of a lifetime on Sunday as he defeated Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open in a five-set thrilling contest with a score of 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 7-6. The 22-year-old’s triumph included a dramatic turnaround in the fourth set when he saved three championship points and broke his opponent's serve in the 10th game when Sinner was serving for the title.

Alcaraz’s victory marked his second French Open title and fifth Grand Slam in his short but highly productive career. The match against Sinner lasted over five hours, cementing its place in the history books as the longest final in the history of Roland Garros.

While Alcaraz produced his ultimate best in front of the jam-packed arena in Paris, he was tipped to achieve something similar or even more by Paul McNamee more than 12 months ago. The 70-year-old, while speaking in the Sit Down podcast in 2024, predicted that Alcaraz has the skills and composure to go on and win as many as 10 French Open titles. McNamee, who won four Grand Slams in the doubles category, also highlighted what makes Alcaraz more suitable to win at Roland Garros compared to Sinner.

"A clay-court is a chess board. So the Grand Masters are Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg. Next in line will be Carlos Alcaraz,” he said. "It was almost a miracle (Alcaraz) didn't win the French last year, and he will win it this year, unless something amazing happens. He's that good, this guy on clay. This guy is the real deal. He's got it all. He could win 10 Roland Garroses. We're not saying 14, like Rafa, but for me he's far and away the best player on clay right now. "The last few years I've been at Roland Garros, I go and watch Alcaraz, because it brings me joy to see a guy doing what he's doing. Jannik Sinner is linear. Alcaraz is not. There's a difference."