Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has pushed back against John McEnroe's claim that Carlos Alcaraz is the best thing to happen to tennis in a decade, arguing the young Spaniard has not had to face the Big Three in their prime as he did.
McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, declared on the Spanish talk show La Revuelta: "He's the best, Carlos is the best. He's my favourite player. I'm not saying this just because I'm in Madrid. Carlos Alcaraz is the best thing to happen to tennis in 10 years. Unbelievable. We're lucky to have him. He's my favourite player to watch right now. I'm happy he's playing again because it was not good for tennis that he was out."
Tsonga's Verdict on Alcaraz's Competition
Tsonga, who spent years battling Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the biggest stages, still believes Alcaraz has benefited from their absence. Speaking on the Univers Tennis podcast last year, the former world No. 5 said: "Honestly, it's true that he's developing more. He's a really complete player. He is really complete. Afterwards, is he stronger than those players today? Mentally, physically, well we don't really know."
The 2008 Australian Open finalist won six of his 23 meetings against Djokovic, had a 4-10 record against Nadal, and a 6-12 record against Federer. Tsonga also argued that the calibre of the rest of the top 10 was better in their day.
Alcaraz's Record Against the Big Three
Tsonga added: "What I would have liked to see is Alcaraz win Roland Garros, but by beating [Juan Martin] Del Potro in the third round, [Andy] Murray in the fourth round, Djokovic in the quarter-finals, Federer in the semi-finals and Nadal in the final. That's what I would have liked to see in real life, because today he dominates head and shoulders."
Alcaraz, aged 23, became the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open in January, beating Djokovic, who lauded his "stellar career". The current world No. 3 had a 1-1 record against Murray, with both meetings coming in 2021. He also had a 1-2 losing record against Nadal, and currently holds a 5-5 record against Djokovic, with his latest win coming in this year's Australian Open final.
