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“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa gets away with it” John McEnroe suggests a….
“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa gets away with it” John McEnroe suggests a favorable treatment of Nadal
John McEnroe has never hidden his admiration for Rafael Nadal. Just before the final of the Australian Open, in which the Spaniard won his 21st Grand Slam title, he called him “the best athlete he had ever seen in any sport.” However, he has now given him a stick by letting it slip that he receives favored treatment from the referees due to his status as a great tennis legend.
It was in an interview with the American media Insider, in which the former American tennis player was asked if he had any hobbies when he played.
“I didn’t have any big superstitions,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner replied. “Sometimes he stepped on the lines in the odd games and didn’t step on them in the even games or didn’t change his uniform when he had won with one. Just that kind of thing, but he wasn’t as much as Rafa ”.
“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa gets away with it” John McEnroe suggests a….
McEnroe then referred to the famous routine that Nadal follows in each service which puts on the pants and shoulders of his shirt, touches his nose, and brushes his hair behind his ears while dribbling the ball repeatedly before taking it. the service.
Then the American insinuated that, with all those manias, he exceeds the time allowed to serve with the approval of the chair umpires. “Rafa has his ritual of wasting 30 seconds every time he plays a point”, he began by saying. “When you’re that good, you can do it. ”
The now commentator also suggested that he was allowed his bad manners on the field for being another legend. “ It’s one of the things about being the best: you end up getting away with it. It shows with things that I did on the track and with what he does. More elegantly, obviously. He doesn’t get to yell at people or things like that,” he added.
READ ALSO: The reverse of Roland Garros to Rafa Nadal as he was not allowed to….
It is not the first time that someone criticizes Nadal for the time he spends between each point. Precisely at the Australian Open, his rival in the quarterfinals, Denis Shapovalov, complained to referee Carlos Bernardes during the match and after the match in the press room.
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“I think it’s unfair how much Rafa gets away with it,” he said. “In the rest of the games, the pace has been faster because the referees have been attentive after each point. In this one, after two sets, we had about an hour and a half just because it takes so long. I respect everything Rafa has done and I think he is an incredible player, but there have to be some limits, some rules. He is frustrating as a player, you feel like you are not only playing against your rival but also the referees and much more”.
READ ALSO: “What to Expect at French Open” Rafael Nadal’s wife Maria Francisca Perello’s worried reaction in….
Players can take a maximum of 25 seconds between each point and two minutes between sets, which time is exactly timed.
“I think he is wrong in this case,” Nadal then replied to the Canadian. The man from Monaco, however, has not answered McEnroe, although as we said their relationship has always been excellent and they have praised each other repeatedly. Facing Roland Garros, the American named the 13-time champion of the Parisian Grand Slam as the main favorite of this edition despite his physical problems.
“The only certain reason why Rafa Nadal would not be a favorite is that he seems to have some kind of injury. But, with his history at Roland Garros, it would be quite unthinkable that he was not the great candidate when he has won it 13 times ”, he commented on Eurosport.
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A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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