John McEnroe ripped for having ‘zero clue’ who player was at Australian Open
Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe has been slammed over his commentary after fans claim he didnt know who the lower-ranked players were at the Australian Open.
The 64-year-old legend has been doing double duty for both ESPN and Australia’s Channel 9, but it was his role early on the second day of action at Melbourne Park that raised more than a few eyebrows.
During the match between seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and lucky loser Zizou Bergs, McEnroe commentating alongside Nick Kyrgios reportedly admitted he didnt know anything about Bergs.
The 24-year-old Belgian is ranked No. 129 in the world, having previously sat at a high of 112.
Bergs was only called into the tournament at the last minute after Tsitsipas initial first-round opponent, Matteo Berretini, withdrew from the event with a foot injury.
It meant Bergs got to have his third start in a Grand Slam and second at Melbourne Park.
4John McEnroe is calling the Australian Open for ESPN. Robert Sabo for NY PostAnd Berg put his best foot forward, claiming the first set before the Greek star changed gears, ultimately winning 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.
But it was the former notorious hothead McEnroe who had tongues wagging after seemingly knowing nothing about the Belgian, despite it being part of his job.
World No. 316 American Thai-Son Kwiatkowski made waves when he took aim at McEnroe.
Insane to me that time and time again J. McEnroe goes on air and just admits he has zero clue who a player is,” Kwiatkowski wrote. “(Today, bergs, 120 atp) just says to the world, hey guys, Ive done zero research for my job and Im just going to disrespect someone whos top 150 in the world at a job.”
Insane to me that time and time again J. McEnroe goes on air and just admits he has zero clue who a player is. (Today, bergs, 120 atp) just says to the world, hey guys, Ive done zero research for my job and Im just going to disrespect someone whos top 150 in the world at a job
— Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (@thaikwiatkowski) January 15, 2024The 28-year-old was greeted with plenty of support from others in the tennis community.
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg unloaded on McEnroe, writing: Its not only disrespectful to the players, its disrespectful to the audience at home to be that unprepared, especially when given plenty of time to prep and a whole production crew ready to get you up to speed.
4Zizou Bergs during his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open. AFP via Getty ImagesTennis broadcaster Bryan Fenley commented: As a commentator on the #ATP Challenger Circuit, I can honestly tell you that every night before calling matches, Im up until 2-3 AM doing prep work. Showing up to work studied and well-researched is a sign of respect to the players, which they deserve.
WTA broadcaster Anne-Marie Batson agreed: I commentate on #WTA matches, mainly 250s. Say I have three matches. Prep takes 5 hours, roughly. Research everything, 6 x player notes (written & typed), 3 x scripts, video clips, audio (names pronunciation), H2H, etc. Must do the work. Otherwise, whats the point?
The Times tennis corresponded Stuart Fraser tweeted: Was the same with (Dino) Prizmic yesterday.”
4John McEnroe allegedly made a similar admission about Dino Prizmic, who lost to Novak Djokovic. Getty ImagesTennis broadcaster Myles David added: How do you suspect we get newer, better prepared and knowledgeable voices in the commentary booth? Because i agree. Hes keeping that job based on name recognition. Not how well he does at it.
Its not the first time McEnroe has been slammed for not knowing who a player is.
At Wimbledon last year, recently retired Aussie star John Millman savaged McEnroe for not knowing who then 28th seed Nicolas Jarry was.
How a commentator can say we dont know Jarry but well get to know him is beyond ridiculous. 87 million people play tennis worldwide and this guy is the 28th best at it currently, Millman tweeted.
McEnroe is a human headline however, calling out the Australian Open for adding the 15th day to the schedule in 2024.
First of all, its a money grab as far as Im concerned, McEnroe said on an ESPN conference call.
4Stefanos Tsitsipas during his Australian Open win. REUTERSThey just found another way to make some money. I dont agree with it. Im a commentator. No ones particularly concerned about my feelings. The players, if they accept it and theyre getting something from it, like some money for their pensions or retirement for some players that dont have insurance, I would say thats a good thing that they have added an extra day.
I dont think that has happened (players getting more money), just like it didnt happen at the French Open. I completely disagree with it. Thats probably me being selfish that I have to be away from home an extra day or two.
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