Tennis icon John McEnroe has drawn criticism for his commentary following Novak Djokovic's surprising defeat in the first round of the US Open. The incident occurred during Sunday's play at Flushing Meadows when the four-seed Djokovic was defeated by World No. 49 Mariano Navone in a five-set match.

Navone, an Argentine player, came back from two sets down to one to secure victory over a visibly struggling Djokovic. The match, held on Arthur Ashe Stadium, lasted four hours and 36 minutes. This marked Djokovic's first-ever opening-round loss at the US Open in his career. The final score was 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

As ESPN colleague Chris Fowler described the moment as "euphoric, thrilling, unbelievable" for Navone, McEnroe reportedly responded that the Argentine would be "playing your second round on Court 21." McEnroe, a four-time US Open winner himself, added, "We wish you the best. And he's gonna have to try and play with that effort, intensity, but enjoy the moment, young man."

These remarks were met with a strong negative reaction from some tennis fans on social media platforms, who labeled McEnroe's comments as "despicable" and "disrespectful." One user on X wrote, "McEnroe's entire attitude towards Navone was despicable from the jump." Another commenter stated, "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, [Chris] Eubanks or [John] Isner would be significantly better on the call moving forward." A third user expressed their fatigue with McEnroe's commentary, writing, "I am so f***ing tired of John McEnroe."

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Djokovic himself acknowledged his physical struggles during the match. "I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me," Djokovic stated. "It's something that I've been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year—vomiting, throwing up, serious issue there. And then my whole body starts to collapse, basically, cramping and pain."

He further explained, "Yeah, the back just gave up in the end, and the shoulder, and I couldn't close it out. I was a break up in the fourth, but just struggled all the way, since the fourth game of the match."

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Following his career-defining victory, Navone described the win as a "dream come true." He is scheduled to play the winner of the match between Matteo Berrettini and Stan Wawrinka in the next round.

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