John McEnroe named six future Grand Slam winners in 2018 and not a single player has managed to win a major tournament.
McEnroe’s legendary tennis commentary has become just as iconic as his playing career, but he was way off the mark with his prediction for successors to tennis’ ‘Big Four’.
The American isn’t afraid to put his neck on the line, most recently proved when McEnroe said Sinner was better than prime Nadal.
However, the American great is surely embarrassed by the six names he picked in 2018, with one of the names currently ranked World No. 474 in the ATP Tour rankings.
John McEnroe said Kyle Edmund would win a Grand Slam in 2018
Speaking on Eurosport (via The Metro) in 2018, McEnroe named six players he thought would win a Grand Slam in the near-future.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner opted for Kyle Edmund, Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Borna Coric, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Not a single one of McEnroe’s picks have won a Grand Slam seven years later, with each player sharing different amounts of success.
While some have been close, with the likes of Zverev and Tsitsipas reaching multiple Grand Slam finals, some of the names are way off.
| John McEnroe’s picks for Grand Slam success | Best Grand Slam Performance |
| Kyle Edmund | Australian semi-final (2018) |
| Alexander Zverev | Australian Open (2025), US Open (2020), and French Open (2024) Final |
| Denis Shapovalov | Wimbledon semi-final (2021) |
| Borna Coric | US Open quarterfinal (2020) |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | US Open semi-final (2021) |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | Australian Open final (2023) and French Open final (2021) |
Former British No. 1 Kyle Edmund, in particular, seems like a ludicrous pick to look back on from the American great.
Edmund did reach the Australian Open semi-final in that year, as well as a career ranking high of World No. 14, but the star didn’t get anywhere close in the intervening years.
The star suffered from injuries and surgeries following his successful 2018 and currently holds a ranking of World No. 474.
The four new names who actually won Grand Slams since 2018
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic continued their dominance in the sport for longer than McEnroe envisioned, but there have been four names who won Grand Slams following his prediction.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are the most high-profile names, with the two men bagging nine Grand Slams between them.
Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem also managed to pick up a Grand Slam win, with both men capturing the US Open.
Thiem defeated Zverev to win the 2020 tournament, while Medvedev shocked Djokovic at the tournament a year later.