Mardy Fish has strong view on whether Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner could beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on a show at the French Open, battling it out for the title in five thrilling sets.

In a final neither player deserved to lose, Alcaraz defeated Sinner after five hours of action on Court Philippe Chatrier.

During the fourth set, Sinner failed to convert three championship points, allowing his Spanish rival back into the match, where he won in a fifth-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-7 [4-7], 6-4, 7-6 [7-3], 7-6 [10-2].

Those who watched the match could scarcely believe what they’d seen, as the pair contested the longest final in the history of the French Open.

After both players competed at such a high level, comparisons were naturally made with Roland Garros great, Rafael Nadal.

Former American star Mardy Fish reacted to claims made by a former Grand Slam winner that Sinner and Alcaraz would be favorites in a dream match against prime Nadal at the French Open.

Mardy Fish says there is ‘no chance’ Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner would be favorites against Rafael Nadal

Seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe claimed Sinner and Alcaraz would be favorites against Nadal during a recent interview.

“I’m saying [Jannik] Sinner and [Carlos] Alcaraz against Rafael Nadal on clay, he won this 14 times, you would make a serious argument with both guys that they would be favored to beat Nadal at his best,” he said.

Former world number seven Fish strongly disagreed, sharing his thoughts on X.

“Not a chance in H E double hockey sticks [hell],” he said.

Losing seven of his eight ATP Tour encounters with the Spaniard, Fish is more than aware of how good Nadal was ‘at his best’.

Fish secured just the one win over Nadal, at the Cincinnati Open, during the best year of his career in 2011.

It’s tough to say whether Fish or McEnroe are right or wrong, as the reality is we will never know who would win.

Alcaraz and Sinner played some beautiful tennis on Sunday, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that Nadal won 14 titles at Roland Garros, by far the most of any player in the history of the sport.

Arguing that anyone would be a favorite against Nadal in Paris seems outrageous, especially when looking at his head-to-head record with the 2025 French Open finalists.

Rafael Nadal’s head-to-head record against Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

The Spaniard briefly crossed paths with Sinner and Alcaraz before Nadal retired from tennis in 2024.

In six career meetings against Alcaraz and Sinner, Nadal lost just once, dominating the youngsters during their first few years on tour.

Sinner never won a match, nor a set against Nadal, losing the head-to-head 0-3, although his rival enjoyed a better time of things.

After losing to Nadal at the 2021 Madrid Open and at Indian Wells in 2022, Alcaraz secured his sole win over the 22-time Major champion in Madrid three years ago.

Alcaraz knocked his countryman out of his home tournament, going on to win the title later in the week.

Nadal’s defeat to Alcaraz felt significant at the time, a symbolic ‘changing of the guard’ moment in Spanish tennis.

Whether it tells us that Alcaraz would’ve beaten Nadal in his prime at Roland Garros is another story altogether.

Comparing eras is somewhat of a futile task, as the game of tennis changes on a yearly basis.

We will never see ‘prime Alcaraz’ or ‘prime Sinner’ take on ‘prime Nadal’, but that shouldn’t upset fans too much, who can look forward to another decade of Sinner and Alcaraz competing on the ATP Tour.

Sinner and Alcaraz could potentially face off in another Grand Slam final next month at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday, June 30.