Tennis influencers became one of the big stories at this year’s US Open for all the wrong reasons and now John McEnroe has given his verdict on what he would say to anyone distracting him in a big match.
McEnroe has never held back when expressing his views on the game and he has created headlines of his own with some of his pointed views over the last few weeks.
Yet when it comes to influencers and their presence in the stands at the US Open, McEnroe has a message that will resonate with most tennis fans.
McEnroe has never embraced social media platforms to boost his own profile and while he can see some benefit for the increased attention genuine influencers can bring, he would not appreciate them affecting his focus on court.
“It’s pretty obvious what my view is on social media from the fact that I’m not on it at all,” said McEnroe, speaking in his role as a Eurosport and HBO Max analyst.
“People keep telling me you have to be on there to have a presence, to make sure people still care about you.
“As for these people being at tennis matches and disturbing the players. I see why the US Open might have wanted to bring new people in our sport, but it can’t be helpful if you are trying to play a big match and you look up and someone is filming themselves with a ring light and making a lot of noise doing it.
“If it helps the sport and brings more interest to it, maybe it could work. But I know that if I was playing, I’d be ‘screaming to get these people out of here!’”
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McEnroe also reflected on his appearance in an exhibition match featuring Roger Federer in the week before the US Open, as he admitted he was a moment to savour.
The four-time US Open champion partnered Federer in an exhibition doubles match against Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, with McEnroe suggesting the moment was ‘as good as it gets’.
“I mean, to be out there with Roger, in front of a sell-out crowd… that’s as good as it gets for me at this stage,” he added.
“The fact that people still remember who I am is cool and that was a fantastic night to share a court with Roger.
“It gets tougher to run as you get older, I can vouch for that. I like to try and go for a walk, play a round of golf to stay active. That’s better than sitting on your ass.
“I still like to play tennis every other day for an hour and still play. When the body holds up, I like to play.
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“As you get older, I like to do some weights to retain some strength and I like to sit on a bike at the gym and break some sweat. It’s not like the energy you need to play at a high level on a tennis court, but it makes me feel good at this stage I’m at now.”
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