"McEnroe’s indifference to pronunciation is driving me bonkers" - Tennis fans express annoyance over John McEnroe's Australian Open commentary

John McEnroe's commentary during the 2023 Australian Open, far away from the on-ground action in Melbourne, has not sat well with a section of the tennis fan community. The American tennis great is one of the commentators for ESPN's coverage within the United States of the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

McEnroe has been a regular on the Australian Open commentary team over the years, but ESPN decided not to send its commentary team to Melbourne for the ongoing edition. The channel has been in the firing line from fans for restricted coverage of the Australian Open on its free-to-air channels and covering the Major dedicatedly on its paid service ESPN+.

John McEnroe, his brother Patrick, and the rest of the commentary team, featuring James Blake and Chris Fowler, among others, are covering the 2023 Australian Open from their press room in the United States.

As journalist Ben Rothenberg pointed out the issue, tennis fans were in full agreement that the quality of coverage has been severely affected by the fact that the commentators are not present in Melbourne and covering the event from afar. At the same time, many opined that John McEnroe's commentary, in particular, has not been up to the mark, with some highlighting the American great's mispronunciation of 'Tsitsipas.'

"McEnroe’s inability and/or indifference to pronunciation is driving me effing bonkers. But I’m not surprised," a Twitter user wrote on Friday.

"If I didn’t hear 'Sissypas' before it’s all I hear now," another fan expressed.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to John McEnroe's Australian Open commentary and overall coverage:

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John McEnroe shares his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's love-hate relationship with fans

Novak Djokovic's bittersweet relationship with fans has continued at the 2023 Australian Open with incidents of heckling and jeers towards the Serbian tennis great amidst many loud cheers as well. Reacting to the same, John McEnroe stated that he strongly believes Djokovic deserves more respect than he gets. Having said that, the American tennis legend feels that Djokovic will get his due in time.

"In my book, he deserves more respect. I feel as time goes on, he will get more and more respect," McEnroe said in a recent interview.

McEnroe went on to applaud Djokovic's technical prowess on the court, along with his storied mental strength under pressure.

"His style of play is so technically solid that it is sometimes taken for granted. His toughness and mental strength is also so impressive," the 63-year-old conveyed.