Novak Djokovic 'Forced' Jannik Sinner And Carlos Alcaraz To Improve Says McEnroe
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Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion John McEnroe lauded Novak Djokovic for making Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz get better and thinks a changing of the guard is now taking place in men's tennis.
Alcaraz and Sinner have now won the last five Grand Slams between them. Sinner secured two Australian Opens and the US Open, while the Spaniard reigned supreme at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships.
The pair ended Djokovic's incredible dominance. In 2023, despite turning 36 that season, he won three major titles and was only stopped from completing the Calendar Grand Slam by Alcaraz in a five-set thriller at Wimbledon.
Djokovic, who was forced to retire from his Australian Open semifinal against Alexander Zverev with an injury, has achieved better results in his 30s than any player in ATP history, meaning Alcaraz and Sinner needed to make considerable improvements to end his dominance.
Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe explained how Djokovic forced the young pair to improve and cited the Serbian's excellent Australian Open quarterfinal win against Alcaraz as an example of how good he still is.
"Djokovic, you’ve got to hand it to him because he’s forced these youngsters to get better. They realize how good he is and still is, and he showed that when he outwitted Alcaraz and the end of the day and pulled that match out."
McEnroe also said Alcaraz and Sinner's success shows a changing of the guard is undoubtedly taking place and is fascinated to see who the next player will be that seriously challenges those two.
"We have been talking about when is the changing of the guard. You are seeing it for real. Sinner and Alcaraz won all four majors (last year) and you are looking to see who the next guy is."
"Will it be an American? When is (Joao) Fonseca breaking through? But boy oh boy, it looks like those two (Sinner and Alcaraz) look like they are going to dominate."
While McEnroe's words about Djokovic seem nice, they may not be ones the tennis legend appreciates because of hugely controversial comments McEnroe made about him during the Australian Open.
Djokovic struggled with the leg injury that ultimately forced him to retire against Zverev in the first two sets of his match against Alcaraz. Despite everything the 37-year-old has given to tennis, McEnroe was not convinced the injury was real.
The American told tennis fans on commentary during the Djokovic vs. Alcaraz match not to be fooled by the 24-time Grand Slam champion and that he had done such a "routine" before.
McEnroe and all those doubting Djokovic's injury were proven entirely wrong by an MRI scan the ten-time Australian Open champion posted on social media that clearly showed the muscle tear he described after retiring against Zverev.
Praising Djokovic for raising the standard of tennis is a nice touch and something he deserves. However, McEnroe should also respect his sincerity and not accuse him of faking injuries again in the future.
