Category: Tennis

John McEnroe Stands by Controversial Comments on Emma Raducanu

Tennis legend and star broadcaster John McEnroe has stood by his controversial comments on Brit teen Emma Raducanu. Talking to CNN during a recent broadcast, McEnroe mentioned that he stands by everything mentioned earlier. 

McEnroe previously suggested — after Raducanu pulled out of Wimbledon in July, due to breathing issues — that the pressure of her grand slam debut “just got a little bit too much” for the rising star.

“I tried to relate it in a small way to my experience when I first went to Wimbledon also at 18,” McEnroe said about his 1977 four-set loss to Jimmy Connors in the semi-finals.

“(Raducanu) did better than I did. I played Jimmy Connors, I hadn’t been on the Centre Court and I remember my legs shaking, feeling totally overwhelmed by the experience and almost happy that I didn’t win.”

“Subsequently, I went to Stanford for a year (after Wimbledon) and had some time to sort of regroup mentally and prepare for the rigors of the tour,” said McEnroe, who in 1978 led the Stanford team to a college championship and won the NCAA singles title.

“There’s a lot of great upsides, but there’s also pressure you put on yourself and expectations others put on you. I mean, that was to me as vanilla as it comes … I was very supportive of her, I thought, at the time.

“You know the papers over in England. Sometimes they make a big deal out of, to me, nothing,

“I don’t think you could possibly do it any better than she did it (at the US Open). That’s insane she’s been able to do this. Of course, pressure comes with that, expectation comes with that. I’m sure she expects to win a lot more moving forward.”

In his previous comments, McEnroe had mentioned that “It appears it just got a little bit too much, as is understandable, particularly with what we’ve been talking about this over the last six weeks with (Naomi) Osaka not even here,” he said in July. “How much can players handle? It makes you look at the guys that have been around and the girls for so long. How well they can handle it.” 

With her recent win in New York, Raducanu has climbed the ATP tour rankings from No. 336 in the world to 150. She is one of the top rising stars in the game today. 

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWU8N1hLhwQ

Australian Tennis Star Nick Kyrgios Drops Out of Olympics in Controversial Manner

Nick Kyrgios, the Australian tennis star, has decided to back out of the Olympics in a controversial manner. Just days before the tournament was slotted to begin, Nick Kyrgios took to his Twitter and announced his decision to quit the tournament. 

“Hey guys – I just want to let you know that I’ve decided to withdraw from the Olympics,” Kyrgios said on Twitter.

“It’s a decision I didn’t make lightly. It’s been my dream to represent Australia at the Olympics and I know I may never get that opportunity again.”

The maverick cited his recent injury trouble and the lack of fans as his two main reasons for deciding not to participate in Japan.

“I know myself. The thought of playing in front of empty stadiums just doesn’t sit right with me. It never has,” Kyrgios continued.

“I also wouldn’t want to take an opportunity away from a healthy Aussie athlete ready to represent the country.

“I will also take all the time I need to get my body right. Good luck to all the Aussies competing and I’ll see you back on the court real soon.”

Earlier, Nick Kyrgios has said that he definitely does not love the sport as much as some of the legends do. “I definitely don’t love this sport as those legends do,” Krygios admitted in a post-match interview at Wimbledon. 

“Like, I feel like Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic wouldn’t be able to live without tennis. I feel like that’s their first love.

“For me, my first love was basketball and I wasn’t able to chase that dream, so definitely, I don’t wake up every day having that coming so easily, like wanting to get better.”

I’m not saying I’m going to retire any time soon, I’m just saying I feel as if I’ve been on tour for a long time,” he added.

“There are a lot of things I want to do outside of tennis,” the tennis star went on to say. 

YouTube Link; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swoyc-eTGAk

Naomi Osaka Backs Out of French Open in Controversial Manner

Naomi Osaka has decided to back out of this year’s French Open. The Japanese tennis star made this announcement a few months after winning her fourth Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open. Osaka announced this on her social media and cited her depleting mental health as the primary reason she decided to back out of the tournament. 

Osaka explained in her social media statement that she decided to back out of the tournament to protect her failing mental health. “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka mentioned in a recent social media statement.

“I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that.”

Osaka referred to the 2018 US Open final against the US prodigy Serena Williams. Williams received three code violations in the match and went on to level allegations of sexism against the match official. The local US crowd at Arthur Ashe wasn’t pleased at how Serena was treated and Naomi’s first Grand Slam win was dealt with boos from the crowd. 

Earlier, organizers from the four Grand Slams had given Naomi Osaka a strict warning for refusing to attend media obligations after her matches. 

“We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations during the tournament, she would be exposing herself to possible further Code of Conduct infringement consequences,” organizers from the four Grand Slam tournaments mentioned in a joint statement.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX4r1FjuhM

Nick Kyrgios in the News Again

Controversial Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios is once again making rounds on the internet. The recent surge in Kyrgios’s popularity has come after the 26-year old berated netizens for comparing him to Australian Bernard Tomic. 

The tennis star has maintained his controversial demeanor and style on the internet during the current pandemic and hasn’t shied away from throwing jibes at fellow stars. 

Nick Kyrgios is once again making waves on social media after a rant at people comparing him to fellow Australian Bernard Tomic.

The 26-year-old has been a controversial figure on social media throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wasn’t reluctant to air his views once again after the perceived slight.

“I got compared with Bernard Tomic today and I’ve never felt more insulted,” Kyrgios wrote.

“Does he have a foundation? Does he have the accomplishments? Did he raise money for the bushfires? It’s disgusting, man.

“Do your research. Oh and by accomplishments I mean beating the big 4 [in reference to wins over Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic].”

The tennis star has also confirmed his presence in the ATP Mallorca Championships at the Calvia Country Club from June 19-26. Nick’s presence in the tournament was confirmed by tournament organizer Toni Nadal in a recent interview. 

Nadal went on to speak about the importance of players like Kyrgios in the tournament and how they increase viewership. 

“He is well-known all around the world, and he guarantees a spectacle,” Nadal said.

“Let’s hope he meets [Mallorcan] Jaume [Munar] in the final.”

In more news, tennis legend Rod Laver has called for Nick Kyrgios to be suspended from the ATP tour on the basis of the consistently bad behavior he has displayed. The 26-year-old Kyrgios has, on multiple occasions, shown signs of outburst during games and set a very poor example for kids watching the game. 

“Whatever they have done hasn’t worked so far, so maybe a suspension is the only answer,” Rod Laver told The Sydney Morning Herald in a recent interview.

“I’m not sure he’s learned anything from any of the things that have gone on.”

“Nick is Nick, unfortunately,” Laver said. “He could have been, or still could become, a world champion because of his serving ability, his game.

Novak Djokovic’s Father Takes Aim at Roger Federer

Serbian ace Novaj Djokovic might be on top of the tennis rankings currently, but the Djokovic family is popular for their abrasive comments more than the quality of the tennis they play. The Serb’s father, Srdjan Djokovic, recently took at legend Roger Federer and threw a number of allegations at the Swiss star. 

“[Djokovic and Federer] have developed a kind of respect over the years, but why do you think he still plays at 40?” Srdjan Djokovic said about Federer in a recent interview. 

“Imagine that, a 40-year-old man still plays tennis, when he can go home and do some more interesting things. But since both Nadal and Novak are breathing down his neck, he simply cannot accept the fact that they will be better than him. Go man, raise children, do something else, go ski, do something. Tennis is not my whole life, it is just my son’s current hobby. He is only a tennis player at the moment,” added the Serb’s father. 

‘15 years ago, he attacked my son while he was still young, aged 18 or 19,’ he said.

‘[Federer] knew that someone was coming who would be better than him.’

‘I said then he was a great champion, the best at that time, but as much as he is a great champion, he is not as good a man.’

The comments by his father have taken Novak Djokovic off guard, as he didn’t see these coming. When asked about the statements during a recent media encounter, Djokovic was unaware of these allegations. 

Novak Djokovic, though, did mention that he has trouble agreeing with his father at times.

“I love him, he is a great support of mine,” Novak Djokovic replied when asked his thoughts on his father’s recent comments.

“I can’t control what he says, everyone has a right to speak his mind, but I don’t always agree with everything he says.”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_i5EmdcxbQ