John McEnroe blasted for belittling comments moments after Alexander Zverevs US Open win

John McEnroe couldn’t help but mention two of tennis’ best as Alexander Zverev claimed the US Open trophy.In the moments following the 29-year-old German’s victory over Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, ESPN’s play-by-play caller Chris Fowler started out the concluding call with “So the drought continues, but the rebirth of Sasha Zverev also continues into 2027.Down under awaits, huh?”“It does,” McEnroe said before adding, “Get healthy Carlos and Jannik.”“Please,” Fowler added.“But for now, the moment belongs to Alexander Zverev, U.S.

Open champion 2026.Well done,” Fowler concluded.

McEnroe rubbed fans the wrong way who felt the the timing of the comment didn’t seem appropriate — no matter how much fans may wish Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to be fully healthy.“The commentary was incredibly distracting throughout the match, and the blatant bias was absolutely unbearable to listen to!” a fan posted on X.“John definitely doesn’t like zverev,” another said.A third said: “We failed to celebrate [Novak] Djokovic due to obsession over [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal.

Lets not make same mistake again.This piece commentary is not coming from a good place.”“Sorry, this should be the final straw for John McEnroe.

Unprofessional, belittling the sport and stealing the spotlight from the champion and runner up seconds after victory,” someone else chimed in.“The biggest distraction in the match was McEnroe’s annoying voice,” another wrote.Many felt it took away from Zverev’s achievement — his second career Grand Slam title (first in Queens) and second of the year.

He also took the crown at Roland Garros, beating Flavio Cobolli in five sets.In bringing up Sinner and Alcaraz, McEnroe reminded the audience that in both slams, Zverev avoided either player.

Alcaraz, who was out for four months with a wrist injury, sat out of Roland Garros while Sinner struggled in the heat and...