"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 show the highest levels of tennis in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open on Friday, Patrick McEnroe believes it still would have been enough to trouble 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, however, did not agree with the sentiment, which he believed to be "nonsense" and clueless. With Nadal out in the very first round to Alexander Zverev and Djokovic withdrawing ahead of the quarterfinals due to injury, the American believed that it would not have been the case at all that they beat Sinner or Alcaraz in their current state.
"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.
Carlos Alcaraz looking to complete Surface Slam in Sunday's French Open 2024 final
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 the 2022 US Open on hardcourts, beating Casper Ruud in the final, and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships on grass, beating Novak Djokovic in the final. This is the first time that he's reached the final at Roland Garros on clay.
Against Zverev, Alcaraz won their most recent clash, at the Indian Wells Open earlier this year. However, he trails 4-5 in the head-to-head, including a loss at the Australian Open at the start of this year. Against Ruud, on the other hand, the World No. 3 has a better record and is unbeaten against the Norwegian in four encounters so far.