Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton in the US Open final on Sunday to win the second Grand Slam title of his career, but the German’s victory was followed by criticism of John McEnroe’s closing remark on the broadcast.The top-seeded Zverev beat eighth seed Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2, stopping the American from becoming the first US man in 23 years to win a Grand Slam title.Zverev also moved past the memory of his 2020 US Open final loss, when he was two points away from victory before Dominic Thiem came back to win in five sets. It took six years and two major final defeats for Zverev to win his first US Open title.However, instead of ending the broadcast by focusing on Zverev’s victory, McEnroe turned his attention to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the two players who were not in the final.“Get healthy, Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner],” McEnroe said.The comment quickly went viral on social media, with some fans criticising McEnroe for making the remark immediately after Zverev had won his second Grand Slam title of the season.Alcaraz had been knocked out by Shelton in the quarterfinals after returning from a wrist injury, while Sinner missed the entire tournament with a knee problem.Reacting to McEnroe’s remarks, one fan wrote, “Not liking a player doesnt mean you disrespect their achievements. The commentary box should feel embarrassed for saying that!! Very poor in taste and disrespectful I am sure they wouldn’t like it if same disrespect was shown to the one they back or like.”
Another fan pointed out that Alcaraz had been part of the tournament and had lost to Shelton, writing, “But you are aware that Carlos participated? And lost against the guy who had no chance against Zverev in the final?”Another fan said, “I hope Zverev beats either of them or both to get another slam soon and shut these guys up,”
