Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune rivalry needed in tennis, says John McEnroe as pair both make round two of French Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune's rivalry is needed in tennis, says John McEnroe as the young pair both made it into round two of the French Open. The two 20-year-olds have only met once on the ATP Tour, at the Paris Masters last year, a match that saw Alcaraz retire injured. Ad Despite their lack of head-to-heads to date, they have separately emerged as the two players judged by many to be the sport's next great rivalry, in place of those created by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Roland-GarrosRoland-Garros 2023: Highlights Cerundolo — MunarAN HOUR AGO And as they both set out to reach the 2023 French Open final — where they could meet — McEnroe says they can make tennis «much more interesting». «I believe you need rivalries,» he said on Eurosport. «We haven’t seen a lot, particularly on the women’s side.

»You think about how much better the men have got because they’ve played each other so often. It’s insane. They were forced to get better.

«Now, you’re hoping, as Djokovic and Nadal wind down, you’re hoping Alcaraz and Rune in particular step up and have a great rivalry because all sports need it. Corretja discusses the similarities between Djokovic and Alcaraz Alcaraz felt 'invincible' during French Open win over Cobolli »It makes it much more fun and much more interesting. People generally pay more attention.