In a recent viral moment, tennis legend John McEnroe clapped back at BBC’s Clare Balding over a question about Novak Djokovic, sparking widespread discussion online.
During a live segment, Balding firstly made a face when questioning McEnroe about Djokovic taking exception to the crowd’s boos in his Round of 16 match against Holger Rune. The expression clearly meant that Balding found Djokovic’s episode appalling.
So McEnroe interrupted her by saying ‘Yes he did, what is your question?’, which drew laughter in the studio as well. But he was not done. Balding proceeded to ask what would he say to the Serb. McEnroe replied with a straightforward ‘Well done!’.
The BBC anchor questioned Djokovic’s place in tennis history since he might not be viewed by many as the greatest the sport has ever seen because of such controversies.
Known for his candid and fiery demeanor, McEnroe responded assertively by talking about Djokovic’s achievements first. He then claimed that despite facing so much negativity for the majority of his career, he won more than his competitors and that makes him the greatest of all-time.
McEnroe can relate to Djokovic. During the American’s playing days, he too was heckled despite being a 7-time Grand Slam champion. While the 1981 Wimbledon champion did feed off that negative energy, he claims that not even Djokovic likes to be booed by crowds for no good reason.
But McEnroe admitted that the main difference between him and Djokovic is that the latter managed to channelise the negativity more often than he could. This is why the Serb has achieved so much and has the right to shut the crowd up.
John McEnroe schools Clare Balding on Novak Djokovic calling out the booing against him at Wimbledon (and throughout his career).
Clare Balding: “What would you say to him now?”
John McEnroe: “Well done.” pic.twitter.com/UQDYVRvbpL— James Melville (@JamesMelville) July 9, 2024
The BBC pundit also highlighted the fact that Djokovic was indeed the third wheel in the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry. This meant that it was always going to be hard for the 7-time Wimbledon champion to follow two ‘class acts’ like them, in McEnroe’s words.
However, Balding asking the Djokovic question came right after BBC had a separate interview with the Serb. This has added more fuel to the fire when it comes to Balding being slammed for the McEnroe segment.
Did BBC Deliberately Try to Put Down Djokovic? The Serb Thinks So
Djokovic agreed for an interview with the BBC despite coming under fire for the ‘Goooood night’ jibe to the Wimbledon crowd. However, he got visibly frustrated by the line of questioning regarding his controversies by the interviewer. Once he had enough, he walked off in between.
“Do you have any other questions for me? All of your questions have been about the crowd. This was the third question!,” Djokovic said before leaving.
The interviewer repeatedly asked about his thoughts on the post-match speech he gave. Djokovic answered the following in a poised manner –
“When the crowd gets disrespectful and steps over the line, I- I react, I do not regret any of my actions or w0rds on the court.”
How to deal with BBC propagandists trying to provoke you: get up and leave!
Well done Novak Djokovic! pic.twitter.com/73Yq6u2c2L— Robin Monotti (@robinmonotti) July 9, 2024
It is being alleged that Djokovic is once the target of the western media, as he is a controversy’s child for his actions. The fact that the Serb is unafraid to go against the crowd and the media when being targeted unfairly, speaks a lot about him. He isn’t the ordinary celebrity tennis player, but someone who is ready to stand up for himself rather than worry about being liked.
Both these BBC segments have not exactly been favorable for the British broadcasting giant, as questions are now being raised on their integrity and choice of interviewers.
There are set to be more discussions in the coming days as Djokovic has now made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon 2024.
