Naomi Osaka’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, dismissed John McEnroe’s controversial claim regarding Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Rafael Nadal.
McEnroe asserted that after watching the final between Alcaraz and Sinner at the 2025 French Open, they would be favored to defeat Nadal on clay. Notably, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has won the clay-court Major an astounding 14 times throughout his career.
After John McEnroe’s Controversial Claim, Patrick Mouratoglou Backs Rafael Nadal Against Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner
This year, Alcaraz was the defending champion at the 2025 French Open. He struggled initially during the final against Sinner, losing the first two sets. However, the Spaniard made a brilliant comeback, winning the final three sets to win with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). This win marked Alcaraz’s second French Open title and his fifth Grand Slam title overall.
Following the final, McEnroe claimed that Alcaraz and Sinner were capable of defeating Nadal at his best.
However, Mouratoglou recently took to social media and brushed off McEnroe’s assertion, stating that neither Alcaraz nor Sinner would be favorites against Nadal in a final at the French Open. He mentioned that Nadal’s game is exceptionally well-suited for clay and that Alcaraz and Sinner might struggle to deal with it.
“I don’t think that Alcaraz or Sinner would be favorites against Nadal in a Roland Garros final because Nadal has a game that is so different from everybody else. So adapted to clay. I don’t know how they would deal with that,” Mouratoglou said.
Mouratoglou further mentioned that he finds it difficult to believe that Sinner or Alcaraz could defeat Nadal, considering the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s record of 14 title wins at Roland Garros.
“So that’s why I don’t think we can say that. There’s no way we can know. And considering that this guy won 14 Roland Garros, it’s difficult to think that the year after any of the two finalists would beat him,” he added.
Where Are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner Currently Competing?
After concluding their campaigns at the 2025 French Open, Alcaraz and Sinner began their grass-court seasons. Alcaraz is currently competing at the 2025 Queen’s Club Championships, while Sinner is defending his title at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle.
Alcaraz, who clinched the ATP 500 title in 2023, is the top seed at the tournament this year. He was initially set to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round; however, the latter withdrew from the tournament due to illness, allowing lucky loser Adam Walton to step in.
Alcaraz secured a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Walton in the first round to advance to the second round, where he will meet compatriot Jaume Munar.
The two Spaniards have clashed three times on the ATP Tour, with Alcaraz emerging victorious in two of those encounters. Their most recent match took place in the third round of the 2022 Barcelona Open, where the former World No. 1 triumphed with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-3. He then went on to defeat Pablo Carreño Busta in the final to claim the title.
The winner of the match between Alcaraz and Munar will progress to the quarterfinals, where they will face either Reilly Opelka or lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech.
Meanwhile, Sinner is currently competing at the 2025 Terra Wortmann Open in Halle. He won the title last year by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in the final.
This year, Sinner is the top seed and began his campaign with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over qualifier Yannick Hanfmann in the first round. He is set to take on Alexander Bublik in the second round.
Sinner and Bublik have faced each other five times on the ATP Tour, with the Italian winning four of those matches. Their most recent match-up was in the quarterfinals of the 2025 French Open, which Sinner won 6-1, 7-5, 6-0.
The winner of the match between Sinner and Bublik will advance to face either seventh seed Tomáš Macháč or Fábián Marozsán in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Terra Wortmann Open.
