Last year at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played out one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.
It had quality and drama in equal measure, and was justifiably decided by a fifth-set championship tiebreak for the title.
Having faced match points earlier in the clash, it was the Spaniard who eventually came out on top, winning one of the sport’s best-ever finals, and leaving Jannik Sinner broken.
Fast forward a year from that iconic flashpoint, and it now seems like there is virtually no competition for the Italian as he seems set to storm to the title that he came so close to in 2025.
With that in mind, whilst watching Sinner play live on TNT Sports, John McEnroe actually sent a message to Carlos Alcaraz on the broadcast.
John McEnroe pleads with Carlos Alcaraz whilst watching Jannik Sinner
Early in Sinner’s straightforward win over Clement Tabur, the American pundit was discussing that aforementioned final with his commentator.
McEnroe heralded how both the world number one and Alcaraz have emerged at the perfect time to make the transition from the Big Three into the new era so seamless.
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
However, with no competition for Sinner now, he also pleaded with the seven-time major champion, stating: “These two guys… I mean, just when we thought we were in deep trouble with Rafa, Roger going away and Novak nearing the end, we’ve got these two.
“So Carlos, please get healthy.”
Then, briefly discussing the conclusion of that 2025 Roland Garros final, McEnroe added: “Any time you get a guy who’s down triple match point, two sets to love down, and finds a way to win a fifth-set tiebreaker. The tiebreaker he played was the highest level of the match.”
Alcaraz recently spoke about the difficulties of watching Roland Garros at home, as he continues to rest his injured wrist. However, the impact it has had on tennis fans is similarly devastating.
John McEnroe’s controversial Rafael Nadal comments at last year’s Roland Garros
After watching last year’s final, McEnroe, like the rest of the tennis world, was swept away with the emotion of that clash.
However, even beforehand he could not believe what he was seeing with Alcaraz and Sinner, and made one controversial claim that sparked huge debate from fans and players alike.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
He argued: “You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best.”
This drew huge scrutiny, which actually forced McEnroe to clarify his comments about Rafael Nadal not long afterwards.
Given the rate at which Sinner is snatching records though, it seems like no accolade is safe.
