John McEnroe Faces Backlash for Rafael Nadal Take at Roland Garros

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 4:15 PM ET

While 21-year-old and world No. 2 Coco Gauff captured the French Open title on Saturday with a win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on the women’s side, the top two players on the men’s side clashed in a thrilling final on Sunday.

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz edged out world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a cinematic finish, securing back-to-back titles at Roland-Garros and further cementing his place as the brightest young star in the sport.

However, the weekend wasn't without a tad bit of controversy. Tennis legend and TV analyst John McEnroe stirred debate on Sunday with his comments about Sinner, Alcaraz, and Spanish icon Rafael Nadal—who recently retired in 2024 after a historic career.

McEnroe stated that he believes both Sinner and Alcaraz, at their best, could defeat a prime Nadal on clay—a bold remark considering Nadal is widely regarded as the greatest clay-court player of all time. He holds a record 14 French Open titles and 63 total championships on clay.

“The other part that I think is important to realize—and it’s semi-crazy to say this because we’ve just watched the three greatest players who ever lived over the last 20 years: Roger, Rafa, and Novak—is that these two guys… Sinner and Alcaraz… if they’re bringing their A-game right now, you could make a serious argument that they’d be favored to beat Nadal at his best on clay.”

"They would be favourite to beat Nadal at his best!"

John McEnroe believes you could make an argument for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz beating Rafa Nadal at his best on clay.

Do you agree? #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YuhSghehF4
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) June 8, 2025

The remark drew immediate backlash from fans, many of whom felt McEnroe was downplaying Nadal’s dominance on clay.

"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. Peak Nadal…..on clay…….the underdog?" A fan stated.

Another fan posted, "Take the mic away from this unc fgs…Rafa hasn’t won 14 RGs to be disrespected like this."

Someone else added, "Meaningless point from Johny Mac. He missed the mark."

"Absolutely deluded," another fan said.

One more fan commented, "Phew, my dear. I feel for McEnroe, but if he actually meant that seriously, he’s kind of disqualified himself. There’s no way that would’ve been ever a realistic scenario."

McEnroe’s opinion carries a lot of weight in the tennis world—and rightfully so, given the legendary career he had. However, his take reflects a bit of recency bias toward Sinner and Alcaraz.

That said, Alcaraz—another Spaniard like Nadal—may very well be the next great player to rise as the dominant force on that court.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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