Playing Rafael Nadal would be "the nightmare" while Roger Federer is "the dream", says John McEnroe

John McEnroe has revealed that he would prefer to play Roger Federer at Wimbledon than play Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, calling the former a "dream" and the latter a "nightmare".

At this point, Nadal's name is almost synonymous with the French Open. The 22-time Grand Slam champion secured 14 of his titles at the clay-court major between 2005 and 2022, although he missed this year's tournament due to injury. 

Meanwhile, his fellow Big Three member Federer is known for his record eight wins at Wimbledon, which he achieved between 2003 and 2017. The Swiss player retired from the sport in September 2022.

Now, seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe has shared his thoughts on the differences between the two tennis legends.

"Federer is the most beautiful player I’ve ever seen. You know I idolized Rod Laver. He was awesome. Whereas you look at Rafael Nadal, that’s not your typical or prototypical tennis player. His body is bigger up top. When we grew up, they were like 'DON'T LIFT'," the 64-year-old said.

The American player added that he would prefer to face Federer at the grasscourt major despite preferring clay as a surface.

"The dream would be to play Roger at Wimbledon and the nightmare would be to play Rafa at Roland Garros on clay even though I grew up on clay and that was my best surface until I turned pro. But what Rafa did was insane," he added.

Nadal has missed the majority of the 2023 season due to injury and undergoing surgery. However, he has revealed his aim to return in 2024, potentially at the Australian Open.