McEnroe bows to Spain: "It is an extraordinary moment for their tennis"
John McEnroe is one of the voices in tennis who never hides his thoughts, no matter how controversial they may be. The seven-time Grand Slam champion always expresses his opinions, even if it earns him enemies. But this time, he has come to praise Spanish tennis, led by Carlos Alcaraz and followed by Rafa Jódar.
The American was in Madrid alongside another tennis legend, Argentine Gabriela Sabatini, at the Sanitas Foundation Inclusive Tennis Masters. The now-commentator spoke to the media present and did not hesitate to praise Spanish tennis while sending a message to American tennis.
McEnroe highlighted the figures of Alcaraz and Jódar
“Yes, I have seen Rafa play. He seems like a very nice young man, and I think he is good for tennis. In the United States, we should take a closer look at what is happening in Spain, because right now they have had Rafa Nadal first and then Carlos Alcaraz. We need to find and develop better players.”
He also continued to shower praises on Alcaraz: “We can only hope, like everyone else, that Alcaraz can stay healthy for the next ten years. That would be incredible.” And along the same lines, he complimented Jódar: “He has a long way to go. He will have to live up to the expectations, just like Carlos had to follow the path set by Rafa Nadal. This is an extraordinary moment for Spanish tennis, especially for men's tennis,” McEnroe concluded.
🥎"In the United States, we need to study carefully what is happening in Spain" 🇺🇸🇪🇸The legend John McEnroe talks about Rafa Jódar, Carlos Alcaraz, and the current level of Spanish tennis at the Sanitas Foundation Inclusive Tennis Masters 🎥David Alejandro García https://t.co/dSnxAJUwKV
— RNE Deportes (@RNEdeportes) October 8, 2026
At the moment, both Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Jódar are about to make their debut at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. The Murcian is currently in third place in the ATP ranking after a challenging year due to a wrist injury that sidelined him for four and a half months. Meanwhile, the Madrilenian, in his first year as a professional, has exceeded all expectations by winning an ATP title, reaching the semifinals of a Masters 1000 (Canada), and advancing to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam (Roland Garros), in addition to being the current number 14 in the world.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, McEnroe se rinde a España: "Es un momento extraordinario para su tenis"