John McEnroe Highlights Two Advantages Novak Djokovic has Over Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic will challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz once again at Wimbledon.

John McEnroe Highlights Two Advantages Novak Djokovic has Over Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe (Inset) (via The Australian Open)

American tennis legend and pundit John McEnroe has shared words of admiration for Novak Djokovic. The former left-handed tennis player claims that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is the Lebron James of tennis.

McEnroe believes that despite being in the twilight of his career, he is still there to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic lost to the Italian in the Roland Garros semifinals and got a massive standing ovation from the French public after the match. McEnroe said on Corriere della Sera:

It's impossible not to admire him. I consider him the Lebron James of tennis. Due to his age, he struggles more and more to keep up with Carlos and Jannik's pace, but he remains a prodigy, someone science should study. Why should he retire if he continues to be so competitive? He is still the best competitor against the top two, and he has two major advantages: his experience and the ability to recover from tough moments.

Djokovic is on a Grand Slam drought since the 2023 US Open. In 2025, the Serb reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and then at Roland Garros. He has won only 1 ATP title, which came at the Geneva Open shortly before the French Open.

The title in Geneva was historic as it was his 100th career ATP title. The Serb became the third player after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer to reach this figure.

How many points does Novak Djokovic defend during the grass court season?

The French Open has concluded, signaling the beginning of the grass-court season. Several tournaments are already underway as players prepare for Wimbledon, which is now less than three weeks away.

Novak Djokovic (X/Wimbledon)
Novak Djokovic (X/Wimbledon)

This period is crucial for the top players, especially those in the ATP top 10, who must defend valuable ranking points on grass. Performances over the coming weeks could significantly impact their standings.

Novak Djokovic, now ranked world No. 5 after the clay season, is aiming to make his seventh consecutive Wimbledon final. He has 1,300 points to defend from his runner-up finish in 2024 but no other grass-court results to protect.

Carlos Alcaraz, currently world No. 2, will attempt to defend his Wimbledon title for a second time. He earned 2,000 points with last year’s victory and also picked up 50 points at Queen’s Club after a second-round appearance in 2024.

Carlos Alcaraz dominates Jannik Sinner in one key statistic

Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final was more than just a Grand Slam triumph. It also strengthened his lead in their head-to-head rivalry. The Spaniard now holds an 8-4 record against Sinner, with five straight wins over the Italian.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Sinner has only lost eight matches in 2024, and Alcaraz is responsible for five of them. Their matchups continue to showcase elite-level tennis, but Alcaraz has consistently had the upper hand recently. After the Paris final, the Italian expressed mixed emotions about being part of such a memorable clash.

Long winning streaks are not unusual in tennis rivalries. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal met 60 times, with Djokovic winning 31. Even during their close rivalry, each had dominant stretches, including Djokovic’s two separate seven-match streaks and Nadal’s own run of five wins.

Roger Federer and Nadal also experienced shifts in momentum. Nadal had several five-match win streaks, which pushed Federer to adapt his game. Later in their rivalry, Federer won six of their final seven matches. Other examples include John McEnroe winning 11 straight matches against Jimmy Connors, proving that even long streaks don’t define a rivalry’s full story.

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