John McEnroe says ‘you would be crazy to bet against Rafael Nadal’ after ‘extraordinary level’ in last eight

John McEnroe believes it will take a brave person to wager against Rafael Nadal when he takes on Alexander Zverev in the semi-final at Roland Garros.

Nadal produced a performance “for the ages” against world No 1 Novak Djokovic on Tuesday as he defeated the defending champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(7-4) in four hours and 12 minutes to stay on course for a record-extending 14th French Open crown.

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“It was a very emotional night”

— @RafaelNadal on his four-set win over Novak Djokovic:#RolandGarros

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 1, 2022

What made the “emotional” Spaniard’s victory even more remarkable was the fact that he has been struggling with a foot injury and came into the Grand Slam with only a couple of matches under his belt on the clay this year.

“I am very emotional, thank you, thank you everyone,” Nadal said after the match.

“It was incredible for me. It was so important for the crowd to be behind me. It was really special. It was a very tough match, Novak is one of the best players in history, and all the history we have.

“There is only one way to beat Novak and that is to play at your best. See you in two days, that’s all I can say.”

Seven-time major winner McEnroe was dumbfounded by the 35-year-old level.

“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 during his Eurosport commentary stint of the Marin Cilic-Andrey Rublev quarter-final clash.

“Now, it seems like you would have to be crazy to bet against him [Nadal]. His birthday is Friday, when he plays