“Nonsense” – Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic wouldn’t have easily beaten Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner in French Open SF, asserts Patrick McEnroe
While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner did not play their best tennis in the 2024 French Open semifinals on Friday, Patrick McEnroe feels they were still good enough to bother Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic on the day.
Alcaraz overcame Sinner in five sets on Court Philippe-Chartrier under the sun, winning 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. It was a nervy display from both players, as the four-hour-long clash saw numerous unforced errors from Sinner and Alcaraz despite the occasional moments of jaw-dropping brilliance. The Italian made 44 unforced errors to 39 winners, while Alcaraz hit 58 unforced errors against 65 winners.Social media, as expected, was abuzz with opinions on the match, especially with those criticizing the quality of the match. One such popular opinion was that had Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic had played against either, they would have won easily.
Patrick McEnroe, on the other hand, disagreed with the notion, calling it “nonsense” and dumb. With Nadal eliminated in the first round by Alexander Zverev and Djokovic withdrew before the quarterfinals due to injury, the American believes they would not have been able to beat Sinner or Alcaraz in their current form.
“Please… Enough with the nonsense on here that current Rafa or an injured Novak would beat Sinner/Alcaraz easily today… You really have absolutely ZERO CLUE,” he tweeted.
Following his win over Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz will take on either Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud in the final of the 2024 French Open on Sunday. A win there will help him achieve the Surface Slam – winning at least one Major on all three surfaces.
Alcaraz has previously won both the 2022 US Open on hardcourts, defeating Novak Djokovic in the final, and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on grass, defeating Casper Ruud in the final. This is his first appearance in the Roland Garros clay-court final.Alcaraz defeated Zverev in their most recent match, at the Indian Wells Open earlier this year. However, he lags 4-5 in head-to-head matches, including a loss at the Australian Open earlier this year. In contrast, the World No. 3 has a better record versus Ruud, having gone undefeated in four meetings.