‘I’m not sure I’ve seen him play better’ – John McEnroe hails ‘extraordinary’ Rafael Nadal after win over Novak Djokovic

Eurosport expert John McEnroe has reflected on the play of Rafael Nadal a day after his extraordinary triumph over his old rival, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, in their French Open quarter-final.

The 13-time champion overcame the world No. 1 and reigning champion in four gruelling sets in the night match on Tuesday as fans were treated to an epic encounter between the two old rivals.

After the King of Clay edged a step closer to a record-extending 22 Grand Slam title on Tuesday night at Roland-Garros, McEnroe attempted to put his latest incredible victory in some perspective.

“Well, I would say I have made the mistake a couple of years ago thinking the colder conditions would hurt him against Novak,” McEnroe said on commentary during Marin Cilic’s quarter-final with Andrey Rublev.

“Now, it seems like you would have to be crazy to bet against him [Nadal]. How in the world do you think the guy… his birthday is Friday, when he plays [Alexander] Zverev.

“He will be 36, and I’m not sure that I have seen him play better than what I witnessed last night.

“I’m sure there has been close, and there have been a number of times where he has played at an extraordinary level.”

“That was one for the ages! If that had gone five [sets], I might have slept here in the booth. It ended at 1:15am. Certainly, a lot of fans here not forgetting.”

Fellow Eurosport experts Tim Henman, Mats Wilander and Alex Corretja also reflected on what they had witnessed in the Eurosport studio, not quite believing that Nadal had done it yet again.

“Incredible scenes!” Henman exclaimed. “The quality of tennis from start to finish – over four hours, well into the night – it’s just incredible.

“They bring out the best in each other. When one of them is behind, the other is almost retaliating, coming up with even better tennis. It was Nadal who got off to the fast start, but Djokovic came back and he was up in the fourth… baseline exchanges, going from corner to corner, the speed in which they’re hitting the ball with such consistency… no unforced errors, even after four hours and 21 minutes. Match point, Nadal gets the opportunity to step in, and there it is.”

Corretja added: “I was not nervous at all! I was so enthusiastic; the passion these guys showed tonight again is just amazing.

“It’s difficult to describe with words, because from the very first ball, until the end, they were hitting it as hard as they could: not too many mistakes, only winners… forehands and backhands down the line… good serves, good volleys, good drop shots… what else could you ask for? Nothing, just live the moment!

“It was like a dream to be here to watch this match, and now I understand why Rafa has a statue here because it feels like he is a knight here.”

Wilander agreed: “Unbelievable effort! I was sitting next to Alize [Lim], and we were thinking 5-2, fourth set, should he [Nadal] let it go, maybe? He kind of let it go because he started hitting the ball harder again and we just felt like he found his rhythm again.

“Suddenly Novak started getting a little bit careless at times in that final set, and it was interesting how Novak knows exactly what he needs to do: to execute. Rafa needs to play within himself at times, but of course, to win, he has to let it out; I’m absolutely exhausted!”

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