“I’m saying Sinner and Alcaraz against Nadal on clay — you would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favored to beat Nadal, at his best,” John McEnroe said earlier this year, sparking huge controversy in the tennis circle. The American legend was criticized for disrespecting an icon like Nadal, who had consistently performed at the highest level for years, in favor of players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who (as good as they are), are still just in the early stages of their careers . Now, months after that controversy, McEnroe made another divisive comparison at the US Open.

Earlier this week, Alcaraz began his US Open campaign with a bang, winning his opening round match against Reilly Opelka in straight sets. Despite a tough, hard hitting opponent with all the home support, Alcaraz brought his A game forward to outclass Opelka. Subsequently, McEnroe, commentating yet again, was all praise for him and compared him to the likes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.

The American legend stated, “You want two great players in any sport to play their best. In my opinion, if both guys played their best, Carlos Alcaraz is the better all-around player. If he brings A-minus or below, Sinner’s going to beat him. That’s what it boils down to. This guy, Carlos Alcaraz, in my opinion, is the most talented young kid 2021-22 that I’ve ever seen on a tennis court. That’s more than Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, who I have great respect for.”

While the legacy of the Big 3 is undoubtedly above all, with 66 majors in two decades, McEnroe’s objectionable comparison further adds to discourse the American legend stirred up ahead of this year’s French Open when he stated that Alcaraz could defeat Nadal in his prime, on clay. McEnroe’s opinion, however, was not well received by the tennis world, with even Andy Murray chiming in with his two cents.

Andy Murray rebukes John McEnroe’s  for Carlos Alcaraz comparison

At a time when legends like Federer and Nadal have retired, and the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner are dominating men’s tennis, McEnroe’s statement caused a lot of stir on social media. One of the major reasons for this was that the legacy of the Big 3 was put into question, which no tennis fan would’ve liked. Even Andy Murray called out McEnroe, as it was too early to judge that Alcaraz and Sinner could defeat the Big 3.

Murray 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. 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 continued, “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.”

However, Carlos Alcaraz would like to keep these comparisons aside and focus on his US Open journey. He next faces Mattia Bellucci in the second round later today. The match can be followed on EssentiallySports’ Live Blog.