Tennis icon John McEnroe has lauded the talent of Carlos Alcaraz as he made a bold statement about the Spaniard in comparison to the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz is chasing his second US Open title and sixth Grand Slam in total at the 2025 edition of the hard-court major in New York. A 19-year-old Alcaraz became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history after claiming his maiden major crown at the 2022 US Open.
The world No 2 steamrolled world No 65 Mattia Bellucci 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 in the second round at Flushing Meadows. Alcaraz broke the 24-year-old Italian’s serve seven times and did not face a single break point in an utterly dominant display on Arthur Ashe Stadium court.
In the opening round, Alcaraz saw off huge-serving 67th-ranked Reilly Opelka 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. The 22-year-old will take on 32nd seed Luciano Darderi in round three.
Speaking on ESPN, McEnroe gave his verdict on who is better between Alcaraz and world No 1 Jannik Sinner.
“You want two great players in any sport to play their best,” said the seven-time major singles champion.
“In my opinion, if both guys play their best, Carlos Alcaraz is the better all around player.
“If he brings A- or below, Sinner is going to beat him. That is what it boils down to. This guy Carlos Alcaraz at 21 or 22 is the most talented kid I have ever seen on the tennis court.
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“That is more than Roger Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic, who I have great respect for. I idolised Rod Laver, I played Pete Sampras.
“This guy is astoundingly good when he is on. One of the quickest guys who has ever been on the court, incredible personality, the attitude is amazing. He has got every shot in the book. Everything.”
John McEnroe’s brother, Patrick, also weighed in on the debate and explained why he favours Sinner.
“I give Sinner the slight edge at the moment, although when you look at just the head-to-head, it favours Alcaraz very significantly,” said the French Open doubles winner.
“But this year, you have got to look at the fact Sinner has won two of the three majors. He wins Wimbledon for the first time and overall he is more consistent.
“I think this loss here at Wimbledon is going to give Alcaraz a little bit more of an edge. He looked, for him, like a little passive in that match.
“He couldn’t believe that Sinner was just taking it to him. I think he is going to come here to New York thinking, ‘Okay, now I have got something to prove’.
“So I give Sinner the slight edge, but I think Alcaraz is right there and he has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”
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