John McEnroe once called Novak Djokovic “Darth Vader” for his ability to thrive despite the boos and backlash. And if we’re sticking with the Star Wars theme, Djokovic has certainly played the role of the man who keeps coming back for another battle. But this time, his pursuit of a 25th Grand Slam ended earlier than expected, as Mariano Navone stunned him at Flushing Meadows. McEnroe was quick to back Djokovic after the defeat, though his comments about Navone soon raised a few eyebrows.

After the match, the 25-year-old Argentine soaked in the biggest win of his career, signing autographs courtside after stunning the 24-time Grand Slam champion on Arthur Ashe. But as the cameras turned toward Navone, McEnroe was heard saying, “You’ll be playing your second round on Court 21. We wish you the best.”

McEnroe’s comment, however, came in the context of how high-profile matches are typically reserved for Arthur Ashe Stadium. With Djokovic as his opponent, Navone naturally found himself on Flushing Meadows’ biggest court. But with his second-round opponent yet to be determined, a matchup against a lower-ranked player could see Navone moved to one of the tournament’s smaller courts.

Fans were quick to criticize the comment, arguing that it undermined Navone’s achievement. However, with former champion Stan Wawrinka a possible second-round opponent, Navone could have another Arthur Ashe appearance on the cards, meaning McEnroe’s prediction may not age particularly well.

However, McEnroe praised the Serbian for the mental fortitude that the former World No.1 showed on court despite struggling with bad health. He battled vomiting and painful cramps in his left foot before taking a medical timeout after the fourth set. By the decider, his body simply wouldn’t cooperate, leaving him unable to mount a serious fight as the defeat ended with an emotional Djokovic in tears.

“Talk about the ultimate competitor. He’s hurling, and it’s unbelievable that he’s still enduring. Suffering,” said McEnroe when Djokovic vomited for a third time before the fourth set.

That said, while fans found it understandable that commentators tend to focus more on the higher-ranked and higher-profile players during their stints, they still argued that McEnroe lacked knowledge regarding lower-ranked opponents. Some even brought up 2023, when it appeared that he had not done any background work on Nicolas Jarry, who was playing Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon back then.

At Wimbledon this year, McEnroe was once again criticised by fans for biased commentary during the high-profile singles comeback of Serena Williams, who played against Maya Joint. Fans blamed McEnroe’s commentary for being too centered on Williams, without giving proper credit to Joint, who won the match.

So once again, fans wasted no time in taking their opinions to social media.

Fans Slam McEnroe for being biased with his comments

“Mac has been overly glazing Djokovic sinner and Alcaraz vs anyone else. I get the perspective but it’s kinda his job to not force it on the viewer lol,” said a fan.

Another fan cited Christopher Eubanks or John Isner as better substitutes for McEnroe, saying, “McEnroe was disrespectful to Navone from the beginning. In the first set he says how great of an opponent Navone is for Djokovic because he won’t challenge him at all. Dude is a tired act, Eubanks or Isner would be significantly better on the call moving forward.”

One of the fans said, “Feel like mac is always spiteful of the new generation. Or really any player younger then him”, while another added, “Think everyone knows how bad a commentator McEnroe is. Not surprising how disrespectful he is.”

Another fan pointed out the poor timing of McEnroe’s comments, as the American chose Navone’s biggest career moment to undermine the situation. “John McEnroe is such a loser. Navone earned the biggest win of his life and immediately gets this said about him”, said a fan.

Given that it is just Day 1 and considering McEnroe‘s track record, one will not be surprised if there are more controversial comments from the American during the fortnight in New York.