"Ridiculous that John McEnroe still gets to call the biggest matches": Fans frustrated by American's 'insufferable' commentary during French Open 2024

John McEnroe's commentary during the 2024 French Open has left tennis fans frustrated with his apparent lack of research. In particular, many were infuriated by his remarks during Grigor Dimitrov's clash against Zizou Bergs and Novak Djokovic's win over Lorenzo Musetti.

McEnroe has frequently come under fire for his commentary during Grand Slam events. Earlier this year at the Australian Open, the American was criticized by fans for his lack of knowledge about Zizou Bergs during the Belgian's first-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Similarly, McEnroe received backlash for referring to Matteo Arnaldi as a "complete unknown" during the Italian's match against Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open.

In another Alcaraz matchup, this time at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the seven-time Grand Slam champion drew ire for suggesting that Nicolas Jarry was not a well-known player.

This trend has continued at the French Open, with fans expressing dismay at John McEnroe's apparent lack of knowledge about players ranked outside the top 20.

"Surprise surprise! John McEnroe didn't do any research before coming to get his paycheck today," one user commented.

"Literally every match…. Unless it’s like two top 10ers playing. Ridiculous that he still gets to call the biggest matches man," another fan chimed in.

"John McEnroe when asked anything about a player not ranked in the top 20," said another.

One fan described the former World No. 1's commentary as "insufferable," lambasting him for talking over crucial points during Emma Navarro's win over Madison Keys.

"Insufferable. And talking through every major point during the Keys/Navarro," the fan wrote.

Another fan called out the American for his seeming disdain for Zizou Bergs, as the Belgian suffered a straight sets loss to Grigor Dimitrov.

"I’m not sure anyone has ever hated anyone as much as John McEnroe hates Zizou Bergs," the fan wrote.

With Novak Djokovic's dramatic 7-5, 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Lorenzo Musetti concluding at 3:08 a.m., several fans expressed their displeasure with John McEnroe for making the late-night atmosphere "miserable" with his commentary.

"Can someone put John McEnroe to bed or cut his mic or something," one fan posted.

"Watching tennis at 3am seems so chill but he's making it seem miserable," another fan replied.

Given the numerous grievances from fans regarding the 65-year-old's commentary, it is unsurprising that several of them called for McEnroe's dismissal.

"In any normal job he'd be fired already," one fan commented.

"We need to move past the era of John McEnroe being a tennis commentator. Enough already! @NBCSports @espn," said another.

John McEnroe on 'most open' French Open 2024 amid Novak Djokovic appearing 'more human': "It’s exciting from a commentator’s point of view"

The American (L) and Novak Djokovic

Given Novak Djokovic's inconsistent form in the lead-up to the 2024 French Open, John McEnroe proclaimed this year's Roland Garros as the "most open" in two decades due to the Serb's perceived vulnerability.

"I don’t know what’s wrong with him, if it’s because of a physical issue, motivation, age, distractions outside of tennis. Right now, he seems more human. It’s the most open Roland-Garros in the last 20 years," he told the French media.

The American asserted that while the wide-open field of contenders presents an exciting prospect for him as a commentator, it is undoubtedly stressful for the top players considering the uncertainty about their standings.

"I do believe this is the most open [Major] tournament in years. Especially with the uncertainty with a lot of the top players. It’s sort of exciting from a commentator’s point of view. I’m sure it’s very stressful for the players, especially the top players, if they don’t know where they are," he added.

Despite McEnroe's concerns, Djokovic is through to the fourth round of the French Open, where he will continue his title defense against Francisco Cerundolo.