John
McEnroe is eagerly anticipating the match between
Novak Djokovic and Carlos
Alcaraz in the semifinals of the 2023
French Open.
Fans are
eagerly awaiting a highly anticipated showdown in the tennis world when world
No. 1
Carlos Alcaraz faces world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, the top contenders for
the title. McEnroe commented on their upcoming second encounter, referring to
Carlos' previous victory over Djokovic at the 2022 Madrid Open.
“I am
salivating over this match-up, to see who's going to handle the pressure. The
crowd is going to be nuts, as they often are in France, they are very
emotional. I can't wait because this thing is going to be unbelievable.”
“We hope
that this rivalry goes on for a couple of years,” said McEnroe.
“Novak's
36, but he looks like he's 26 and Alcaraz is 20 and he plays like he's been
around forever. So this is what we all hope for in the tennis world. It's hard
to pick a winner.
“I picked
out Alcaraz and gave him a slight edge before the tournament and obviously
Novak would be the second choice. They're both getting it done in different
ways. It is going to be unbelievable. I'm hoping for an epic one. I really
think it will be great for tennis,” added the former world No. 1.
John McEnroe
has previously praised Carlos Alcaraz's level, considering him the best player
he has seen at his age:
“Boris
Becker was the best player I ever saw at 17 or 18 when he won his first two
Wimbledons. This guy Alcaraz, he's just turned 20. He's the most complete
player I've ever seen at this age, more than the other guys.”
“You’d be
hard-pressed to think he's not going to win many, many Majors. And he's also
just got this incredible personality. So you’ve got the old guy Djokovic, but
he plays young. He's going for history. He's trying to break the record, which
is insane,” claimed McEnroe.
Alcaraz and
Djokovic are also playing for the opportunity to start the next week as the
world No. 1. If Alcaraz wins, he will guarantee maintaining the top spot in the
ATP rankings and will distance himself from 'Nole', who is defending 2,000
points from last year's trophy. If the Serbian manages to eliminate Alcaraz and
then win the trophy, he will regain the world No. 1 ranking.