Roger Federer’s Ex-Coach Fires Back at John McEnroe for Saying Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Can Beat Prime Rafael Nadal

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are currently dominating the men’s circuit having reached two consecutive Grand Slam finals. That led John McEnroe to reveal that the pair can be at Rafael Nadal’s level in his prime. Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic recently disagreed with the tennis legend’s statement, claiming Sinner and Alcaraz still have a lot to improve on.

The past seven Grand Slam titles have been shared between Sinner and Alcaraz, with the former winning four and the latter lifting three. They first faced each other in a Grand Slam final at the Roland Garros last month as Alcaraz came from two sets down to beat the World No.1 in a five-set thriller that lasted for five hours and 29 minutes.

They then faced off at the Wimbledon final on Sunday (July 13). Alcaraz won the first set and was seemingly in control of the match before Sinner rallied back into the match to beat the Spaniard and claim his first Wimbledon title. He also ended Alcaraz’s 24-match winning streak on tour.

Sinner’s triumph at Wimbledon was his first title since January and first in a Grand Slam event outside the hard courts. However, Alcaraz leads their head-to-head record 8-5, having won five of their last six meetings. He has also won five titles this season three more than his arch-rival Sinner.

After Alcaraz and Sinner’s Roland Garros final match, which lasted for over five hours, John McEnroe revealed that he believed the duo could beat Nadal in his prime. During an interview with Tagesan Zieger, Ivan Ljubicic rubbished the tennis legend’s statement, claiming that McEnroe exaggerated about how good Sinner and Alcaraz currently are:

John McEnroe said that Nadal wouldn’t have stood a chance against these guys. That’s nonsense. We haven’t seen the best of Alcaraz and Sinner yet. They still have a lot of room to improve. The next generation is always better than the last. But I don’t think they’re any further along yet. I sometimes watch matches from 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2015 between Roger and Rafa. That was incredible tennis.

Nadal won the Roland Garros for a record 14 times in his career and holds a 112-4 win-loss record at the tournament. Despite the injuries he struggled with on tour, the 39-year-old won 92 tour-level titles, including 22 Grand Slams and 36 Masters 1000 titles. Sinner and Alcaraz currently have four and five major titles, respectively.

Ivan Ljubicic opens up about becoming Jannik Sinner’s coach if Darren Cahill leaves by the end of the season

Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill revealed during the start of the season that he will part ways with the Italian star by the end of 2025. The legendary coach is retiring from coaching as he seems to spend more time with his family. However, Sinner revealed after his Wimbledon victory that Cahill might make a u-turn and continue with him.