John McEnroe backs Holger Rune to beat Carlos Alcaraz to the French Open final predicting a host of Majors for the young Dane

Many are seeing Alcaraz and Rune as the next best thing in tennis and are expecting their rivalry to be one of the best in near future.

John McEnroe backs Holger Rune to beat Carlos Alcaraz to the French Open final predicting a host of Majors for the young Dane

John McEnroe, Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz (Image via: tennisnet)

Tennis is witnessing the young generation taking the mantle forward, especially on the men’s side. With Roger Federer already retired, Rafael Nadal possibly playing his last season in 2024, and Novak Djokovic approaching the end of his career, iconic rivalries that can match those of the ‘Big Three’ is a must in tennis right now.

And while we may not get three right now, two players are emerging as the most likely to take this legacy forward. These two are none other than defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz and the talk of the town, Holger Rune, as per one of the all-time greats of the sport, John McEnroe. The American has stressed the need for a rivalry in tennis and has put his bet on these two next-gen superstars.

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Speaking at Eurosport, McEnroe backed Rune to defeat Alcaraz in the ongoing French Open final. “Rune is the real deal. To me, he’s the favorite to get to the final, playing with a lot of confidence. I wouldn’t call today one of his best, but he’s trying to add to his game already, taking the ball early and moving forward,” said McEnroe, while also analyzing Rune’s performance in the first round at the ongoing French Open.

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McEnroe further added, “Rune did fine. He’s been dealing with the pressure pretty well for the most part. He laid an egg last year when [Casper] Ruud blew him off. I don’t think that went over too well, and he subsequently lost eight first rounds in a row, but he’s come back and he’s growing up a bit. He’s the man. He’s going to win multiple majors too.”

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There’s a possibility that Alcaraz and Rune meet each other in the final at Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune
ImAge Credit: Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune (Eurosport)

While the 2023 French Open is still in its initial stages, many pundits are already clamoring for an Alcaraz-Rune final. This is because both are in terrific form and are one of the men on the men’s side who looks realistic enough to go all the way and win in Paris.

While first seed Alcaraz had a near-perfect outing in the opening round, winning it against Flavio Cobolli in straight sets 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, sixth seed Rune had to dig deep to get past Christopher Eubanks 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2.

There is nothing much to show right now for the Alcaraz-Rune rivalry, as they have met each other only once before, in the 2022 Paris Masters, where Alcaraz had to retire from the match. However, due to their individual brilliance, many are expecting that the two will cross paths numerous times in the foreseeable future.

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