American legend John McEnroe has stirred the pot in the world of tennis with a bold statement before the French Open 2025 final. The 66-year-old's observation is sure to spark debate in the tennis world, after he said that Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would be the favourites to beat Rafael Nadal, even at his best, at the French Open — a tournament where the Spaniard has built a near-mythical legacy.

Speaking about the rising dominance of the younger generation on clay, McEnroe made it clear that neither Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer features in his list of top contenders to dethrone Nadal at Roland-Garros, should the 14-time champion return in form.

"You know, this is semi-crazy to say this, because we just watched the three greatest players that ever lived over the course of the last 20 years, Roger, obviously Rafa and Novak. But these two guys (Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner), to me, as I look at them bringing their A game right now, have it in them to beat the best,” he told TNT Sports in a pre-match analysis.

“I'm saying Sinner and Alcaraz against Rafael Nadal on clay. You know, he won this 14 times; it's like trying to beat Chris Evert in the 1970s and 1980s on clay, right? She won 125 consecutive matches. It would be like that. You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal at his best. That's how the level is to me,” he added.

In the French Open 2025 final, defending champion Alcaraz is facing No. 1 Sinner for the men’s title. Sinner has won the first set. The 22-year-old Alcaraz owns a tour-leading 21-1 record on clay this year and has beaten the 23-year-old Sinner in their past four meetings. He leads him 7-4 overall.

(With AP Inputs)