Stefanos Tsitsipas has now waded into an ongoing debate about Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal.
Kickstarted by John McEnroe after the historic men’s final at Roland Garros, the American was clearly swept up by what he had seen.
After all, it spurred him to claim that the two finalists would have had enough to beat Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay-court player of all time, on his favoured surface.
He stated: ‘You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best.’
Tsitsipas has now, shockingly, agreed.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says whether Carlos Alcaraz could beat prime Rafael Nadal
Chatting with Tennis365, seeking to weigh in on a debate sparked during the French Open, Tsitsipas threw further fuel to the fire by actually agreeing with McEnroe’s claims.
Having played all three involved in this hypothetical situation, the Greek tennis star admitted: ‘I have played both of them. Both of them are great ball strikers, both on clay and hard, but I would favour, as a creative player more, more of a creative player on clay, I would favour Carlos.
‘I feel like he has way more options when he plays and it’s quite evident and clear. I mean, it’s not something absurd. And I would favour obviously Sinner on hard courts.
‘So I would give Carlos more chances on Nadal on clay. If I have to bet my money somewhere.
‘I feel like Carlos would have chances against prime Nadal on clay. I think so. I’m not saying he would have beaten him, but he would have had chances to create something special against him.’
Rafael Nadal has set an unbeatable record at Roland Garros
McEnroe’s instant reaction to the French Open final was one of understandable wonder, given what we had just witnessed.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s clash had everything, from endless quality, unbelievable drama and a comeback from the precipice of defeat.
However, to suggest that these two youngsters could possibly trouble Nadal on clay seems unfair to the legacy the Spaniard has left.
He has set an unbeatable record by winning 14 titles at Roland Garros, a figure that likely will never be matched at any event.
Not to mention that, during an era where Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were in their primes, amongst other superstars like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, he lost just three times at the French Open too.
It’s almost an insult to what Nadal accomplished to compare him to these two supremely talented youngsters who, one day, might rival his accomplishments. Now, though, they have a long way to go.
