“Why did they throw me under the bus?” John McEnroe SLAMS the ‘dumb’ journalist and defends himself over his comments on Rafael Nadal getting preferential treatment
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Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe
22-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal started his US Open campaign on a positive note by beating Australian wild card Rinky Hijikata in the first round in four sets 4-6,6-2,6-3,6-3. With this win, he is now 20-0 in grand slam matches in 2022 and has solidified his claim as one of the favorites for the ongoing US Open.
In the post-match press conference after his win, Nadal was quoted John McEnroe’s words by a journalist who said that he gets preferential treatment from the umpires over the serve clock rule. The journalist believed that Nadal uses more than 25 seconds in between serves and still gets away with it. Nadal then called out the journalist and said that he has received multiple warnings over this issue and he shall have a talk with McEnroe soon.
Speaking on Eurosport, McEnroe clarified his statement and called out the ‘dumb’ journalist. “Why did they throw me under the bus?” McEnroe questioned. He said that Nadal hasn’t had that talk yet and added that given his stature, Nadal is entitled to do whatever he wants and it is not his call but that of the umpires regarding the serve clock rule.
“We haven’t had that talk (with Nadal) but let me just add that… he didn’t let me finish, whoever the dumb journalist was. Rafa Nadal is entitled to do whatever the hell he wants, that’s part of why you get as good as [Nadal is], you’ve got to deal with that. And it’s not up to him. We all know that he’s been doing this for the past 10 to 15 years. There’s nothing new to that. It’s not his call – it’s the umpires,” he said.
Also Read: ‘Prince for the King!’ Rafael Nadal and his wife Maria to become parents of a baby boy
‘I think it’s BS anyway’: John McEnroe on the serve clock rule
McEnroe further called the rule a ‘bulls**t’ because no one pays attention to the clock. He then laid out a series of questions and further said that because of all this, Nadal wrongly thinks that he is questioning his legacy.
“And by the way, I think it’s BS anyway, that [rule]. No one pays attention to that. It should be automatic if you’re actually going to do it, right? And when do they turn it on? Is it at the end of the point? Is it when they get to the towel? Is it when the crowd comes down? This guy… now Nadal thinks I’m saying his legacy’s been stained because he takes too much time,” Nadal added.
Also Read: “She is a threat now!” Mats Wilander hails Serena Williams as one of the favorites for the US Open
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)