
John McEnroe has expressed his outrage after Rafael Nadal went unpunished for apparently exceeding the 25-second time limit between shots, describing it as “a joke”.
Nadal has always been slow in between points and at this year’s Australian Open he was criticized by Denis Shapovalov over his poor time-keeping with the Canadian also lashing out at the officials, saying the Spaniard receives preferential treatment.
“I’ve been ready to play for a minute and a half and he tells me he’s not going to give him a code violation because I’m not ready to play. To me, it’s a big joke,” Shapovalov fumed.
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The 21-time Grand Slam winner’s time-keeping was again under the spotlight during his Roland Garros quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic on Tuesday.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner-turned commentator McEnroe was unimpressed.
“He should be penalized,” he said during his Eurosport commentary stint. “If you are going to do it, do it, otherwise don’t bother. It is like humoring everyone.
“It’s a joke! He takes a look at the clock again… one. He’s edging it, isn’t he? Shouldn’t they have it at 15 seconds on the second serve? 10? Something? “Or don’t bother. It’s like, you can take as much time as you want on the second serve. How long is this game? 12 minutes? Jeez.”
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Nadal will face Casper Ruud for the French Open title on Sunday, with the Spaniard hoping to capture a record 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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