John McEnroe believes ‘Carlos Alcaraz at 21 or 22 is better than Nadal, Djokovic and Federer’

American tennis legend John McEnroe has made a big claim in regards to Carlos Alcaraz. He believes that the Spaniard at his current age is better than the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The Spaniard has already won five major titles at the age of 22. Like Alcaraz, Nadal too found success very early on his career, whereas, Novak Djokovic would go on to achieve monumental success after his mid-20s.

John McEnroe believes that Carlos Alcaraz always plays with a positive attitude, and is among the quickest guys on court. The Spaniard reached the third round of the 2025 US Open, after defeating Mattia Belluci in straight sets. He also defeated Reilly Opelka in the first round in straight sets, as he now faces Luciano Darderi in the third round.

“This guy Carlos Alcaraz at 21 or 22 is the most talented kid I have ever seen on the tennis court. That is more than Roger Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic, who I have great respect for. I idolised Rod Laver, I played Pete Sampras. “This guy is astoundingly good when he is on. One of the quickest guys who has ever been on the court, incredible personality, the attitude is amazing. He has got every shot in the book. Everything.”

John McEnroe believes Carlos Alcaraz has the edge over Jannik Sinner

John McEnroe believes that Carlos Alcaraz can beat Jannik Sinner if he brings his best game forward. The duo have dominated world tennis in the last two seasons, sharing all the seven slams between themselves. They also competed in the finals of the French Open, where Alcaraz won in an epic five set encounter, and in the Wimbledon finals, where Sinner won in four sets.

“You want two great players in any sport to play their best,” McEnroe told ESPN. “In my opinion, if both guys play their best, Carlos Alcaraz is the better all around player. If he brings A- or below, Sinner is going to beat him. That is what it boils down to.“

Jannik Sinner defeated Vit Kopriva in the first round in straight sets. The Italian had to withdrawn from the finals of the Cincinnati Open after only five games, as Carlos Alcaraz was declared the champion. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are on collision course to face in the finals of the US Open once again.