Wimbledon 2024: John McEnroe Comes Under Fire From Tennis Fans for His ‘Lame’ ESPN Stint in Novak Djokovic’s Opener

With players-turned-commentators becoming a common trend in the sporting world today, there have been many ups and downs caused by it. However, the tennis world has been experiencing quite a lot of ‘downs’ in this matter. Past and present players like John McEnroe and Nick Kyrgios have raised eyebrows with their opinions while serving as commentators.

While McEnroe is no stranger to serving in this role, Kyrgios has taken up commentary after being away from the court due to injuries. At the ongoing Wimbledon Championships, another controversy erupted, this time due to John McEnroe.

McEnroe and Kyrgios were behind the mic for ESPN during Novak Djokovic’s first-round match here. The Serb was up against Vit Kopriva when the controversy erupted. McEnroe talked non-stop, even during the points, which irritated numerous fans and they took to social media to vent their frustration in this matter.

However, this is not the only controversy caused by McEnroe’s commentary in recent times. After Iga Swiatek’s French Open victory, the American legend questioned whether she would “throw on a little makeup” during the presentation ceremony. McEnroe got bashed online for his insensitive comments. On another occasion, he downplayed Carlos Alcaraz’s opponent, Nicolas Jarry’s skills, when the two were playing at Wimbledon last year. This didn’t go down well with John Millman, who criticized McEnroe for his views.

However, on this occasion, fans got irritated by his voice as the American legend was going on non-stop, even during the points. Some angry fans got together and slammed him for his commentary stint with ESPN.

Fans take a brutal dig at John McEnroe

As some intriguing action was underway during Novak Djokovic’s match, some fans were left frustrated with McEnroe’s constant chirping during his commentary. Additionally, his commentary partner, Nick Kyrgios didn’t help the cause either with his views. As a result, angry fans took to Twitter to lash out at McEnroe. One of the fans commented, “Talking through the serve. The viewers can not hear the ball. McEnroe knows it is a disrespect to TALK THROUGH THE SERVE! SHUT TF UP!”

Meanwhile, despite the difference in experience and ranking, Djokovic’s opponent gave a good account of himself, fighting for every point. However, McEnroe downplayed his efforts and this was observed by one Twitter user, who said, “McEnroe in full d!ck mode on ESPN trashing some underdog trying his best against Novak. He’s such a Spaulding.”

On the other hand, McEnroe even brought Serena Williams into the picture during his commentary for Djokovic’s match. One fan pointed out how irrelevant it was and commented, “John McEnroe is so fuc*ing lame man…. There is a documentary series on Serena Williams. There he goes “are ALL the episodes about her?” Yes b*tch it’s her documentary. Stfu. So jealous!”

“In the Arena: Serena Williams” is set to premiere on ESPN+ on July 16 with a Tribeca premiere already having taken place in June. Interestingly, McEnroe also has had films made on him, including ‘In the Realm of Perfection’ (2018) and ‘McEnroe’ (2022).

Further, a section of fans pointed out how annoying he was due to constant ‘chit chat’ while the match was going on. This even led one fan to question, “Is there anything more braindead than hearing John McEnroe commentate on a Novak Djokovic match?”

This controversy had little bearing on Novak Djokovic as he won his opening round match at Wimbledon comfortably in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. He will next take on the winner of the match between Jacob Fearnley and Alejandro Moro Canas.