“You don’t treat a player that way,” John McEnroe hits back at Roland Garros for playing Novak Djokovic in tough late-night conditions
John McEnroe believes that tennis is losing its image because of the late-night matches.
John McEnroe(L), Novak Djokovic(R) (Via Imago)
A lot of tennis tournament organizers are getting heavily bashed by players and fans for organizing late-night matches. The tournament particularly hosts late-night matches for the top players to attract as many viewers as possible. Recently, John McEnroe had a few words to share with Roland Garros after they played a couple of very late-night matches.
A few days ago, Novak Djokovic was forced to play a couple of late-night matches, where one even went past 3:00 in the morning. In the fourth round, he played Francisco Cerundolo in another late-night match and had a nasty fall leading to an injury. Turns out that the conditions of the court and the weather were too bad to play on.
Tennis legend McEnroe also hit back at the tournament and even accused tennis of losing its image by playing matches till the next day morning.
Putting Djokovic, 37, on the court at 10:30 pm, without knowing how long the match would last, was a huge mistake on the part of the organization. The weather was very bad, and they were in a difficult situation.said John McEnroe via La Figaro
You don't treat a player, and even less the best in the world, that way. And finishing a match at 3 am gives tennis a bad image.continued John McEnroe in his interview
John McEnroe:
— C Kristjánsdóttir ●? (@CristinaNcl) June 6, 2024
'Putting Djokovic, 37, on the court at 10:30 pm was a huge mistake on the part of the organization.
It's one of the reasons why he injured his knee.
In any case, you don't treat a player, and even less the best in the world, that way.'
✔️ pic.twitter.com/Swky1ys7wv
Nonetheless, Djokovic has suffered a right meniscus injury in his right knee and will have to undergo surgery soon to get back in time for the Paris Olympics.
Novak Djokovic’s knee injury was a success as he prepares for a comeback
Novak Djokovic’s year just got worse from bad. After not having a great couple of quarters, he was just starting to find some form at the French Open. However, just as he made it to the quarter-finals, he suffered a knee injury and was forced to withdraw.
Earlier today, he put a post on Instagram indicating that he had a successful surgery. With a group picture with his team, Djokovic delightfully said that the surgery was a success and would soon start his recovery. Nevertheless, the Roland Garros is in the semifinal stage and four players are yet to battle it for a place in the finals.
One exciting clash that can happen is between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The whole tennis world awaits this matchup and even John McEnroe had a message about the rivalry.
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Laxman Naren
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