"No one that can beat him - other than Alcaraz": John McEnroe praises Jannik Sinner after thumping win over Novak Djokovic

Former world number one John McEnroe has heaped praise on Jannik Sinner after his thumping win in the semifinal of Wimbledon 2025. The 23-year-old defeated Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

With that performance, Sinner achieved a number of milestones. He became only the fourth player to beat Djokovic on all courts. He became only the second player after Rafael Nadal to beat Djokovic in five consecutive matches. Sinner became the second-youngest player to cement a place in the final of four consecutive Grand Slams. That win sets up the rematch of the French Open final between Sinner and Alcaraz.

Alcaraz, who is defending his title, defeated America’s Taylor Fritz in the semifinal with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6. McEnroe spoke to the BBC after the match and praised Sinner’s performance on the day. McEnroe was of the opinion that he had never seen Sinner ‘cover’ the court as effectively as he did in the match against Djokovic. McEnroe further stated that he believes there is no player who can beat Sinner when he is playing his best tennis other than Alcaraz.

"Never have I seen Sinner move and cover the court so effectively", said McEnroe. "Not just the back court but the forecourt. To be able to come up and produce little lobs. It's not something you typically see from Sinner. He's got to be feeling really good. We were watching a better version of Novak Djokovic playing himself. Doing the exact same things that made Novak get to that pantheon of the sport. When Sinner brings his A game, there's no one that can beat him - other than Alcaraz.  On the other hand, if Alcaraz doesn't bring his A game, Sinner will win every time. So it's going to be extremely interesting. He's finally joined the crowd of older champions that realise the best is behind them and then they have to deal with that unfortunate fact. I don't know how much of it was an injury or accumulation of difficult matches, but father time is undefeated. Honestly, it's been amazing he's got this far. Crazy. Phenomenal. Beyond belief. Novak will have a lot of thinking to do over the next month or so. Does he think it was because he was injured, or is his body beat up? It's the first time I've ever looked at him and thought 'I'm not sure he's coming back'. I don't know if he can accept being a notch or two below these guys."