John McEnroe says he "meant exactly what he said" about Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon, but admits it's "insane" that she was able to win US Open
John McEnroe recently spoke at length about the newest Grand Slam champion, Emma Raducanu, who has been basking in her newfound limelight. Raducanu's US Open triumph has given her a massive fan following and celebrity status both within and beyond the sporting community.
Emma Raducanu first attracted eyeballs at Wimbledon 2021, where she reached the fourth round on her Grand Slam debut. However, she had to withdraw mid-way through the match due to dizziness.
John McEnroe, who was commentating at the time for BBC, perceived her withdrawal to be a result of nerves. He even insinuated that the occasion had become "too much" for the teenager, which in turn led to some unsavory comments by the likes of Piers Morgan.
In a recent interaction with CNN, John McEnroe doubled down on his earlier comments. The American claimed that he stands by what he said, and that he could understand what Emma Raducanu was going through at Wimbledon because he himself had endured the same thing.
McEnroe did, however, applaud Raducanu for being able to handle the pressure better than he did.
"I meant exactly what I said," McEnroe said. "I tried to relate it in a small way to my experience when I first went to Wimbledon also at 18. She did better than I did. I played Jimmy Connors, I hadn’t been on the Centre Court and I remember my legs shaking, feeling totally overwhelmed by the experience and almost happy that I didn’t win."
"There’s also pressure you put on yourself and expectations others put on you," he added. "I mean that was to me as vanilla as it comes … I was very supportive of her, I thought, at the time. You know the papers over in England. Sometimes, they make a big deal out of nothing."
McEnroe went on to review the impact of the Brit's historic win at Flushing Meadows and what her growing popularity means for women's tennis. The 62-year-old described Raducanu's feat as "insane" before highlighting how she would be under a lot of attention from here on.
"I don't think you could possibly do it any better than she did and win the US Open, are you kidding me?" McEnroe said. "It's insane that she's been able to do it. Now there's obviously going to be a lot more focus on her, that's incredible."
The US Open final featured two teenagers in Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez (a first such Grand Slam final since the 1999 US Open). John McEnroe remarked that he never thought it possible to see two youngsters have a Major run of that sort, before adding that the women's game is now more open than it has ever been.
"Totally unexpected," McEnroe said. "I never thought it would happen in my lifetime to see an 18 and 19-year-old do it. The last teenagers that were there were Serena Williams and Martina Hingis, who played in the final of 99', so this doesn't happen very often. I think the women's game is more open than it's ever been so that's a sign that a lot more players believe they have a chance."
"I hope she can handle it [attention] because we need her around for another 10 years"- John McEnroe on Naomi Osaka
John McEnroe proceeded to talk about Naomi Osaka, lauding the Japanese for raising her voice on important issues. At the same time, McEnroe claimed that Osaka's outspoken nature has brought too much attention on her, which she has had trouble handling.
The 62-year-old further expressed hope that Osaka can find a way to deal with the ever-brightening spotlight, since he believes tennis needs her for the future.
"Obviously with what Naomi has been talking about, she's not the first person that's dealt with pressure in sports and has trouble handling it," the seven-time Major winner said. "She's been more outspoken. And unfortunately, I think they're going to be watching her even more carefully."
"She came out last year, made a big statement at the US Open wearing the mask. It was a great thing," he added. "Now, all of a sudden, more attention is on her. I hope she can handle it because we need her around for another 10 years."
John McEnroe further empathized with Naomi Osaka's decision to skip her press conferences during Roland Garros 2021. The four Grand Slams had collectively issued a warning at the time, threatening to default the Japanese from the tournament, which McEnroe called a "stupid decision".
"I feel she was having trouble handling the overwhelming amount of attention she was getting," McEnroe said. "So she chose to go to the French open, said I don't want to do any press conferences. I get it. A lot of times those press people don't give a damn about the tennis match. They're just looking to cause some trouble, get a headline of some kind."
"I thought it was interesting when she first did it," he added. "And then they said, well they're going to fine you $15,000 a match. But then the lose-lose was when the powers that be in tennis decided - they said they may default her. I think it was a really stupid decision made by whatever Federation it was or a combination of federations."