Carlos Alcaraz has delivered some solid performances this year, especially in the last three months. His masterclass at the French Open against Jannik Sinner in the summit clash was simply unmatched. On the Parisian clay, the 22-year-old Spaniard – akin to his role model and 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal – established his dominance with a second-straight title. In a 5-hour-29-minute cliffhanger, his comeback from being three championship points down in the fourth set was truly one for the ages. It even compelled legend John McEnroe to make a debatable claim. He believes Alcaraz, along with Sinner, is capable of besting even his idol Nadal in his prime form on clay. But guess what? An Aussie ATP pro thinks otherwise.

Few weeks back, Serena Williams’ former coach and Naomi Osaka’s current trainer Patrick Mouratoglou sat down with 2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios. They had a discussion over the iconic French Open battle between Alcaraz and Sinner. Mouratoglou couldn’t help but make comparisons with the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic) while lauding the two youngsters. “I watched the final of Roland Garros and then saw the final on grass between Federer and Nadal, and it’s so much slower. The pace they play is unreal.” Simply because grass is relatively faster than clay. But still, Alcaraz-Sinner’s gameplay made Patrick believe otherwise. It speaks volumes of SinCaraz’s talent and how hard they hit the ball with sheer intensity to outclass one another.

But then the discussion came down to clay supremacy. And it’s this aspect that made Kyrgios take a different stand. Especially on the claims (from the likes of McEnroe) that Alcaraz can beat a ‘Prime Nadal’ on the red surface. So what does the Aussie think? “Nadal on the clay in his prime, I don’t think they are better,” he commented on both Alcaraz and Sinner’s potential. In fact, Kyrgios believes if there happens to be a scenario with Alcaraz playing Nadal in his younger days, being at his best, the results will be one-sided. “I think Alcaraz would beat him sometimes, but Nadal would probably win six or seven times out of 10 on clay,” claimed Kyrgios.

Even Mouratoglou agreed with him saying, “Nadal has such a different game on clay than anyone, so it is difficult to imagine what it would look like to play prime Rafa on clay,”

Well, Kyrgios isn’t the only one to have this perspective. A former Wimbledon champion and British icon had an interesting take on this topic. Especially after McEnroe made his controversial claims right before the French Open final last month.

Andy Murray speaks on Carlos Alcaraz vs Rafael Nadal on clay

If one has to be realistic, Carlos Alcaraz’s record against his idol Nadal isn’t impressive. Especially on the clay court – it’s been 50-50. Two of their three ATP encounters took place on this very surface. And their H2H tally is tilted 2-1 in favor of the 22-time slam king. Alcaraz was able to snatch his only victory against Nadal in their last meeting at the Madrid Open clay event three years ago.

Now coming back on McEnroe’s bold predictions, Andy Murray had something to say on this matter. Murray has closely witnessed Rafael Nadal‘s might on the clay during his days of dominance. There’s a reason why no one else, but him, was able to capture Roland Garros 14 times.

Reacting to 7-time slam icon McEnroe, Murray tried to provide a clear picture. Without taking the former’s name, he said, “The sport’s in a really good place, but it’s important not to forget what the guys have done before them, what Roger, Rafa, and Novak have done. Winning 20-plus majors is something exceptional, and it’s easy in today’s age to forget a little bit about that.” reported BBC last month.

The former World No.1 added, “I saw some pundits saying if (Alcaraz and Sinner) went on court against Rafa at the French Open, they would be favorites going into that match with Rafa in his prime.” He revealed that the Spaniard and the Italian are on their way to greatness. And there’s no doubt about it “but it takes time to build what Roger (Federer), Rafa, and Novak had. We’ll see whether they get that.”

What’s your take on this fascinating question: can Alcaraz really overpower Nadal in his prime form on clay?