"Very disrespectful, why discredit the young guy like this?" - Tennis fans criticize Patrick McEnroe over 'weird' take on Holger Rune's victory over Novak Djokovic in Paris Masters final

Holger Rune made history at the 2022 Paris Masters, becoming the first man to come from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic in the final of a Masters 1000 event. After losing the first set 3-6, the Dane scripted a remarking turnaround to beat the 21-time Grand Slam champion 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 to win his maiden title in Paris.

Tennis fans on social media flocked to congratulate the youngster, as did his colleagues and former players. Patrick McEnroe was among them, calling Rune a "great young talent."

"Incredible week for Holger Rune in Paris ends with win over Novak Djokovic in the final. Another great young talent coming strong," McEnroe tweeted.

However, the American did not stop there, going on to add another tweet about what would have happened had the final been a Best-of-5 encounter. Patrick McEnroe was of the opinion that the Serb would have won in that case, even suggesting that it would have been a demolition in the last two sets for Rune.

"Let’s be honest again, if that match today was best of 5 sets…[Novak Djokovic] loses 1-3 games in final 2 sets," McEnroe wrote.

Tennis fans on Twitter did not take kindly to his words, remarking that it was extremely disrespectful to Rune. One fan noted that it wasn't even true, recalling how it was the 21-time Grand Slam champion who had to call for a trainer in the match and not the Dane, writing:

"This is a weird take. I’d never underestimate Novak but he looked kinda tired in that third set, and even called the trainer out. I really don’t know if he had it in him to play 2 more sets."

Another user did not like the idea of McEnroe "discrediting" the young Dane, commenting:

"For a guy that played so much tennis this is a very disrespectful tweet for Holger Rune. We are playing Masters 1000's now... Why discredit the young guy like this?"

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

Novak Djokovic to end season at ATP Tour Finals, Holger Rune first Alternate

Djokovic and Rune at the Rolex Paris Masters

Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune will both be traveling to Turin next for the ATP Tour Finals, albeit in different capacities. The Serb has qualified for the competition as No. 7 seed, and is at risk of being drawn in the same group as Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Rune, meanwhile, will be the first Alternate, and has chosen to go to Turin instead of the NextGen Finals, which he also qualified for this year. If any of the eight main players in the year-end championships withdraw from the event due to injury or any other reason, the Dane will enter the group stage in their place.