Tennis Controversies of the Week: John McEnroe faces backlash over "makeup" remark about Iga Swiatek at French Open; Contentious call against Alexander Zverev during crucial moments in Carlos Alcaraz final shocks community, and more

S Shahi
(Left to Right) John McEnroe, Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Getty Images)
(Left to Right) John McEnroe, Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Getty Images)

John McEnroe came under fire for his “makeup” comment directed at Iga Swiatek in her French Open final. In other news, Andy Roddick criticized the chair umpire over a controversial line call during Alexander Zverev's title loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Roland-Garros 2024.

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic's fans were outraged over perceived double standards after Jannik Sinner's physio call during his semifinal in Paris. Coco Gauff received backing from Chris Evert and fans online after a heated debate with the chair umpire in the women's semifinal at the Major. And Andy Murray's uncle Keith Erskin sparked outrage after allegedly mocking Novak Djokovic's knee injury.

Here's a recap of the controversies in tennis from last week:


John McEnroe sparks outrage with his “makeup” remark about Iga Swiatek at the French Open

John McEnroe stirred up controversy with his comment about Iga Swiatek during the French Open final, in which she beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1.

John McEnroe
John McEnroe

In his commentary during the match, McEnroe implied that Swiatek should have put on some makeup, referring to her endorsement deal with the high-end French makeup and fragrance company Lancome.

Many tennis fans were outraged by McEnroe’s remark, wondering why he cared about Swiatek’s makeup choices in the final.


Andy Roddick outraged over controversial line call in Alexander Zverev's French Open title defeat

Andy Roddick criticized the lack of replays during Carlos Alcaraz's 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final.

In the 5th set at 2-1, 15-40, Alcaraz's serve was called out but overturned by the chair umpire, denying Zverev a crucial break. Roddick took to X and argued for the accuracy of player calls and called for full-time use of real-time replays.

"Players (are) normally right. Shotspot showed Zverev saw mark (correctly) ... Can't replace real life playing reps when reading marks correctly. Good riddance to these umpires trying. Bring in the machines full time."

This incident was also called out by tennis fans online who criticized the French Open for poor management.


Novak Djokovic fans decry double standards after Jannik Sinner requests physio in French Open SF

Jannik Sinner's call for a right-arm massage during his French Open semifinal loss to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz 2-6, 6- 3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 drew comparisons to Novak Djokovic by fans online.

Sinner, suffering from cramps, received treatment during a third-set break. Commentators noted that while treatment is allowed during changeovers, medical timeouts for cramps aren't permitted.

Watch the video below:

Djokovic fans online argued that if the Serb had done this, it might have been seen as a tactic to disrupt his opponent's rhythm.

Novak Djokovic was forced to withdraw from the clay-court Grand Slam before his quarterfinal match against Casper Ruud due to a knee injury, granting a walkover victory to the Norwegian, who went on to lose the semifinal to eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev.


Chris Evert lent support to Coco Gauff after a heated dispute with the umpire in French Open SF

Coco Gauff's run at the French Open ended with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.

Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff

During the second set, the chair umpire overruled an out call on Swiatek's serve, awarding her the point despite Gauff's return hitting the net. Gauff protested, claiming the call affected her shot, and requested a replay, but the umpire denied it, leaving the American in tears.

Chris Evert, who was commentating for Eurosport, defended Gauff's integrity and criticized the umpire for the "awful officiating."

"She is right, by the way. Coco Gauff is right, absolutely. She would never, ever tell a lie to the umpire. She is crying. That is awful, awful officiating, the umpire's decision. She is saying that she had a play on it."

This move was also criticized by tennis fans online, who empathized with the 20-year-old.

Coco Gauff, along with her partner Katerina Siniakova, went on to win the Roland Garros women's doubles title by defeating Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final.


Andy Murray's uncle faces backlash for allegedly mocking Novak Djokovic's injury

Andy Murray's maternal uncle Keith Erskin faced backlash for apparently making fun of Novak Djokovic’s knee injury that forced him to withdraw from the French Open and could jeopardize his chances of playing in the Wimbledon Championships and the Paris Olympics.

Erskine posted a tweet that seemed to ridicule the Serb’s injury as he said that it would be a tragedy if he had to skip the upcoming tournaments and added a laughing emoji to the tweet.

"Disastrous for Novak if he misses Wimbledon and the Olympics...such a shame (tears of laughter emoji) (worried emoji)"

Fans were outraged as they took the tweet as an insult to the Serb’s injury.

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Edited by Aayush Kapoor
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