John McEnroe landed a low blow on Tim Henman as the pair debated Russian star Mirra Andreeva’s point penalty in her Wimbledon fourth-round defeat against Madison Keys. The American pundit dug up an old skeleton by mentioning Henman’s previous Wimbledon disqualification during an exchange on BBC One.
Andreeva received a points penalty for a second unsportsmanlike conduct violation after aggressively throwing her racket at the grass court on Monday.
It handed Keys a match point, which she took to seal a spot in the quarter-finals at SW19, as the 16-year-old confronted the umpire, claiming she had ‘slipped’.
Enraged by the decision, Andreeva refused to shake the umpire’s hand after her elimination and appeared to burst into tears as Keys celebrated her victory.
After Novak Djokovic progressed into the last eight on Centre Court, Tracy Austin, Henman, and McEnroe discussed Andreeva’s penalty live on BBC One.
Austin, with a hint of doubt in her voice, said: “Right there, she slips. She says it was all in one motion and that she didn’t really throw her racquet…”
McEnroe sprung to the teenager’s defence, responding: “Oh come on, give her some slack!”
Austin continued: “But because the chair umpire subjectively said she slammed her racquet down on the grass, which they have to be very careful of because it’s a natural surface, she already had the warning, so it gave Madison match point.”
“Absolutely, Tracy, talking sense as usual,” Henman added, suggesting that he disagreed with McEnroe’s stance.
Austin continued by admitting she believed it was the right call immediately after and that she hadn’t changed her mind.
“[It was the right decision] because of the grass. At no other tournament do they warn you before to take care of the grass,” Austin explained, prompting McEnroe to shake his head.
Henman then offered his two cents, stating: “We’re talking about someone throwing their racquet on the court. Why are you asking me when he’s [McEnroe’s] standing right there?”
And McEnroe bit back, asking which of the three former players had been defaulted at Wimbledon.
The comment was in reference to Henman, who, with Jeremy Bates, became the first disqualified player in the Open era after accidentally hitting a ball girl on the ear in 1995.
He had netted a volley before smashing a ball toward the ball girl in anger, handing opponents Henrik Holm and Jeff Tarango automatic progression into the second round.
McEnroe’s comment caused an awkward response from Austin and Henman, with both claiming it was ‘low’.
And presenter Clare Balding leapt to Henman’s defence, saying: “That was an accident!”
The British tennis icon then mentioned that McEnroe had also been disqualified from a Grand Slam, with the latter accepting they were even to end the conversation on a friendlier note.
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