No stranger to the tennis court, the 35-year-old McIlroy has made no secret of his fondness for the sport aside from his golf exploits. When the Olympics were on, he and his other half, Erica Stoll, got spotted soaking up the tennis vibes at Roland Garros, cheering on tennis giants Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz as they took on Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
Speaking about his time there, McIlroy said: "I got to my first event last night watching Rafa and Carlos play doubles. I never watched Carlos play live in person before, which I was really excited for that. Excited for Rafa as well," reports the Express .
He described the electric buzz of the crowd, saying: "That was really cool to see, and the atmosphere there was electric when they started to make that little fightback in the second set. That was cool to be a part of."
McIlroy kept schtum on his thoughts post his Thursday round, where he marked down a 68, featuring an eagle, a couple of bogeys and some late birdies, which left him trailing leader Chris Kirk by four shots. And Friday proved trickier for McIlroy, who carded three-over par and now sits a hefty 12 strokes behind the frontrunner.
Prior to the tournament, McIlroy spoke about his wish to "flip the script" on a season that while delivering three victories in 2024 including two on the PGA Tour, still fell short of expectations. His ambition showed particularly at the US Open in June when he lost a two-shot lead in the last five holes, which allowed Bryson DeChambeau to claim the major title.
"I certainly don't want to sit up here and belittle my achievements at all this year and what I've done, but at the same time, I expect a certain standard from myself," McIlroy conveyed. "Yeah, I've won a couple of times. I've had an opportunity to win a few more times than that and haven't been able to get over the line. So I would have liked to have added a couple more to that win column."
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He continues to aim for a strong finish: "But there's still three tournaments left in this PGA Tour season. I think I've actually got eight or nine tournaments left this year, but three on the PGA Tour, to turn an okay season into a very good one."
He remains motivated by the chance to redefine this season's narrative: "I think when the bulk of the season has come and gone and you've got this opportunity of three weeks to really, I guess, flip the script a little bit or change the narrative and what that season means, I think that's a motivating factor, and part of the reason that I've probably played well in the playoffs for the last three years."
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