The 2025 French Open had it all. From eye-catching action to on-and-off-court controversies, fans were in for a gamut of experiences, including Aryna Sabalenka’s controversial post-final comments and Carlos Alcaraz’s heroics to come back from the brink of death against Jannik Sinner. But the eyebrow-raising moments weren’t limited to current players only, as John McEnroe, who was one of the commentators for the tournament, also caught some unwanted attention. First it was his style of commentary that fans were left unimpressed by. Then, during the latter stages of the tournament, the American legend made an eye-catching remark, which didn’t prove to be popular. However, Andy Murray countered those remarks with some strong words about the legacy that Rafael Nadal and other legends of the sport have built.

But let’s back up for a moment. What are these divisive remarks made by McEnroe? Well, last week, McEnroe revealed on air that Sinner and Alcaraz would defeat Rafael Nadal at his prime with the way they were playing. “You would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favoured to beat Nadal, at his best,” he said, although he did admit Nadal’s longevity and dominance would be hard to match in terms of 20+ Grand Slam titles. It created quite a storm in the tennis world, with people questioning the basis of those comments. During an interview with the BBC, Murray had the perfect counter to those claims as he reminisced about the legacy that Nadal had built.

Murray revealed, “Winning 20-plus majors is something exceptional and it’s easy in today’s age to forget a little bit about that. I saw some pundits saying if [Alcaraz and Sinner] went on court against Rafa at the French Open, they would be favourites going into that match with Rafa in his prime.”

Further, he went on to add, “Alcaraz and Sinner are on the path to being two of the best, no doubt about that, but it takes time to build what Roger, Rafa, and Novak had. We’ll see whether they get that.”

Meanwhile, some held the view that the retirement of legends like Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Andy Murray would threaten the future of tennis. However, the Briton reassured fans that the sport was in safe hands, with players like Sinner, Alcaraz, and Jack Draper taking over. Nonetheless, McEnroe’s controversial take about Nadal refused to die down. Amid this, former French Open champion Michael Chang revealed what Nadal did right.

John McEnroe countered for his controversial take on Rafael Nadal

Even as Nadal formed a firm rivalry with Roger Federer, the two shared a healthy bond on and off the court. Even their locker room chemistry was adored by the fans, something which was missing in the rivalry between McEnroe, Connors, and Lendl. As a result, Chang hailed the likes of Nadal and Federer for changing the face of the sport, on a more fundamental level.

He said, “Federer and Nadal changed the culture in the locker room, to be honest. The generation that we followed was very competitive, didn’t really talk to each other. On court, it’s business: you want to play your best and beat your opponent. Off court, they were kind to everyone, whether you were world No. 2 or No. 100 in doubles. Roger, Rafa, and even Novak are responsible for that transformation. They treated everyone the same and were kind. I think that respect has carried over to the current generation because they respect everyone.”

Meanwhile, the fans also urged the broadcasters to shun McEnroe in the wake of his controversial comments on Nadal. Do you think that McEnroe should continue as a commentator after a hugely controversial French Open? Let us know your views in the comments below.