The US Open has turned into quite the battleground for Jannik Sinner, not just on the court, but also off it. His name has been involved in a doping saga that has escalated to a point where almost every tennis fan is well aware of the controversy. Yet, in a surprising twist, there seems to be one notable figure who’s a little out of the loop—former tennis legend John McEnroe.

John McEnroe is one of the commentators for the semifinal match between Jannik Sinner and Jack Draper. But when the discussion about the doping saga took place in the commentary box, McEnroe didn’t look well informed. It was surprising especially because he is an analyst appointed by ESPN for the US Open.

Upon hearing the name of the substance that was found in Sinner’s blood report, John McEnroe said, “I don’t know what that is.” This raised questions about his awareness of the entire matter with several tennis enthusiasts taking to social media and questioning McEnroe’s lack of information. Remember, Sinner tested positive twice for low levels of a metabolite of clostebol, which is a banned anabolic steroid. However, the ruling of the independent tribunal went in his favor.

It was revealed in the investigation that Sinner’s physio Giacomo Naldi had used an over-the-counter spray containing the chemical to treat a cut on his own finger. He then massaged Sinner without gloves, which eventually resulted in the passing of the substance to the Italian’s body. McEnroe, however, was unaware about the banned substance. This is not the first time that the American legend has received such criticism over his lack of information.

In the current edition of the US Open itself, the former player received flak for his commentary during the match between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe. During the first set of the match, when Shelton was leading against Tiafoe 4-2, McEnroe said that the late tennis player Arthur Ashe would be proud looking at the match from his heavenly abode. “He is looking down going, Two African Americans going at it on my court.” McEnroe actually intended to make a positive remark there, as he wanted to emphasize how much progress Shelton and Tiafoe had made in their careers, but his statement did not depict complete facts.

Shelton hails from a ‘biracial background,’ as his father Bryan Shelton and his mother Lisa Witsken Shelton are both of American nationality. Besides, Tiafoe also has American citizenship. It was again a case of lack of information, but lack of information is not the only thing for which McEnroe has faced backlash during this US Open.

When John McEnroe’s bizarre pronunciation drew him criticism

John McEnroe recently also received criticism for mispronouncing Alexander Zverev’s name. He was one of the commentators for the match between Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. But apart from the thrilling encounter that took place on the court, what caught the attention of the fans was the pronunciation of Zverev’s name from the former pro.

One X user who was miffed with the mispronunciation by McEnroe posted, “The way John McEnroe pronounces Zverev makes me actually want to off myself.” While another wrote, “Someone please tell John McEnroe how to pronounce Zverev’s name.” As the tournament nears the end, McEnroe will probably want to make sure he doesn’t make any more mistakes in the commentary box, given the backlash that he has faced in the last couple of weeks.