John McEnroe ‘salivating’ over Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz showdown

And Wimbledon winner Djokovic, 36, is one wins away from overtaking his rival Rafa Nadal to set a male file of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The dynamic duo have claimed the final three Majors – and the winner of this generational conflict would be the red-hot favorite for Sunday’s closing.

Djokovic, who missed New York after refusing to get vaccinated, is on a 19-match unbeaten run in Grand Slams stretching again to his quarter-final defeat to Nadal right here final 12 months. Alcaraz pulled out of Melbourne with a thigh damage and is now on 12-match Major profitable streak. Something should give when the 2 collide immediately.

BBC analyst McEnroe mentioned: “Boris Becker was the best player I ever saw at 17 or 18 when he won his first two Wimbledons. This guy Alcaraz, he’s just turned 20. He’s the most complete player I’ve ever seen at this age, more than the other guys.

“You’d be hard-pressed to think he’s not going to win many, many Majors. And he’s also just got this incredible personality. So you’ve got the old guy Djokovic, but he plays young. He’s going for history. He’s trying to break the record, which is insane.

“I am salivating over this match-up, to see who’s going to handle the pressure. The crowd is going to be nuts, as they often are in France, they are very emotional. I can’t wait because this thing is going to be unbelievable.”

Alcaraz may even assure staying at world No 1 by profitable their conflict. Remarkably, the pair have solely performed as soon as earlier than, in Madrid final 12 months when the Spaniard triumphed 6-7 7-5 7-6 in three hours and 38 minutes. “We hope that this rivalry goes on for a couple of years,” added McEnroe.

“Novak’s 36, but he looks like he’s 26 and Alcaraz is 20 and he plays like he’s been around forever. So this is what we all hope for in the tennis world. It’s hard to pick a winner.

“I picked out Alcaraz and gave him a slight edge before the tournament and obviously Novak would be the second choice. They’re both getting it done in different ways. It is going to be unbelievable. I’m hoping for an epic one. I really think it will be great for tennis.”

Djokovic in contrast Alcaraz to 14-time champion Nadal. “He carries himself very well,” mentioned the Serbian famous person. “No doubt very nice guy on and off the court. Brings a lot of intensity on the court. Reminds me of someone from his country that plays with a left hand!”

Alexander Zverev will face final 12 months’s runner-up Casper Ruud within the second semi a 12 months after rupturing his ankle ligaments in opposition to Nadal and leaving the courtroom in a wheelchair. “I don’t think about it anymore,” mentioned the German. I’m happening courtroom to win tennis matches.”

But Holger Rune, who misplaced to Ruud within the quarter-final, mentioned: “I’ll probably say Casper is the favourite for the semi-final.”