John McEnroe irrepressible over Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

John McEnroe gave a lengthy interview to the ‘Corriere della Sera’ in which he spoke about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, protagonists of a legendary final at Roland Garros, which saw the Spaniard triumph in the super tie-break of the fifth set.

“The level of their tennis is the highest I have ever seen – stressed the American tennis legend -: both Jannik and Carlos would be favorites against Nadal, at his best, at Roland Garros”.

“I talked to Cahill, he told me that the concern was not to make Jannik lose focus between Australia and Rome, in the three months of stop – explained the’former tennis player -. They succeeded. He came back an equal Sinner as the one we left in Melbourne with the cup in his hand. I don&#8217t see any difference. There was the doubt of tightness but in Paris he was not hot, the weather helped him. Too bad about those three match points…”.

“Does Sinner have an’aura on the court? Definitely, in the sense of presence. Personality is not easily built, I say this from experience: you are born with it. Alcaraz also has charisma, which is why their challenges are so electric. Both have elements of uniqueness. Carlos is the most talented young man I have ever seen hold a racket, Jannik is not far behind. Alcaraz is brighter, Sinner is more continuous. I am struck by the sound of Jannik’s ball: never heard such a thing”.

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Then he let loose on Alcaraz: “I hope they never ruin him, with his ups and downs. He can get into trouble and get out of it with disarming ease. Carlos is the greatest gift the post-Big Three generation could have given us. And he is the only tennis player for whom I would pay the ticket”.

On the comparison with a rock band: “It’s like choosing between the Beatles and the Stones, who do you prefer? I loved Led Zeppelin. The Stones were unpredictable but sometimes the Beatles were better. We are talking about groups that, like Jannik and Carlos in tennis, made history”.

“Not even in my wildest dreams would I have thought that Federer, Djokovic and Nadal would touch twenty Slam quotas. Now you ask me if Sinner or Alcaraz can win 25… It seems crazy to me, however, never say never. Modern tennis is in the hands of increasingly tall, violent, phenomenal athletes. I will disappoint you: I don’t like to give numbers. If anyone can surprise us, though, it is those two” concluded McEnroe.