Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played their first match against one another in 2026 yesterday, with the latter coming out on top.
In winning the Monte Carlo Masters title, he not only dethroned last year’s winner but also overtook him as the world number one.
It was a good afternoon’s work for Jannik Sinner.
However, it was far from a vintage performance from either player, with neither dealing well with the windy conditions.
This resulted in a rather unexciting spectacle, and further disproves John McEnroe’s claim from around this time last year.
When John McEnroe said Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could challenge prime Rafael Nadal
Speaking to TNT Sports after he had witnessed Carlos Alcaraz beat Sinner in arguably the greatest Grand Slam final match of all time, the American was clearly swept up with emotion.
As such, this enthralling encounter prompted him to claim: “You took a look at them bringing their A-game right now — I’m saying Sinner and Alcaraz against Nadal on clay — you would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best.
How would you rate that Monte Carlo final out of 10?
“These two guys right now, it’s like when you watch the NBA, and you say nobody could be better than Michael Jordan. The tennis level right now is higher than I’ve ever seen.”
Unsurprisingly, McEnroe’s claim drew scrutiny, with many arguing that he was completely underplaying just how dominant Rafael Nadal was on this surface.
Yesterday’s final will surely only add to the ridicule surrounding this take, as both Alcaraz and Sinner failed to perform to the expected standard.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s Monte Carlo final proves John McEnroe completely wrong
Had either player, in their state yesterday, faced Nadal on clay, the scoreline could have been embarrassing.
It feels like, at times, people forget just how dominant the 39-year-old was on this surface.
Take the Monte Carlo Masters, for example. The conditions have usually been quite stable, but the capacity for wind has always been there.
And yet, Nadal still won a record 11 titles, eight of which came in consecutive years.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz and Sinner both underperformed significantly, hampered by the swirling wind.
Sinner’s assessment of the match vs Alcaraz was telling, as even he admitted: “Today was not a very high level from both of us. It was windy. Very different conditions to what the tournament has brought until today.”
Nadal, meanwhile, won 90.5% of his matches on clay, a record 14 Roland Garros titles, and holds the record for the longest single surface win streak in the Open Era, having won 81 consecutive matches on clay courts from 2005 to 2007.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
He also has a 63–9 record in clay court tournament finals and has lost only four times in best-of-five-set matches on clay.
The current top two-ranked players are exceptional, and both have impressed on clay. However, if yesterday’s final proved anything, it’s that they cannot even begin to be compared to Nadal.
