McEnroe impressed with Van de Zandschulp: "He makes a particularly solid impression, he was also mentally strong"

Botic Van de Zandschulp is currently facing Rafael Nadal and is a set down against the great Spaniard at Roland Garros but he has a fan in John McEnroe who see the Dutchman as a consistent star after coming from nowhere.

"Botic came completely out of nowhere for me when he reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in New York last year. I had never heard of him before, but he was really good. I wondered why he hadn't won many matches before, because he makes a particularly solid impression. He was also mentally strong," said McEnroe to Eurosport translated from Dutch.

"At the US Open, he still won over Diego Schwartzman after trailing 2-0 in sets. At the time I really wondered: how on earth does he manage this? I'm not saying Van de Zandschulp is going to win majors, but he can reach the quarterfinals more often."

Read also

2022 Roland Garros ATP & WTA Prize Money Breakdown with €43.6m overall

But he doesn't see anyone toppling Nadal while he is fit and healthy and that includes Botic.

"Nadal is just not a favorite in Paris when he's injured. Of course, he lost to Djokovic in the semifinals last year, and besides, Carlos Alcaraz has been making a very good impression for a while. Okay, Rafa looked a bit injured recently in Rome, but that doesn't matter in the end. What matters is how fit he is now. He seems to be very fit in Paris for the time being and that's bad news for all his opponents."

Read also

2022 Roland Garros ATP & WTA Day Six Schedule of Play including Alcaraz, Djokovic, Nadal, Badosa and Gauff