Patrick McEnroe, John’s younger brother, suffered a career-defining defeat in Wimbledon’s men’s doubles, but still saw his sport through a joyful competition.
On Saturday, after Naomi Osaka knocked out his U.S. Open-bound partner Robert Kendrick, McEnroe was furious. He even called for Osaka to get a code violation, because Kendrick asked the chair umpire for help.
Patrick McEnroe on getting upset with John’s former partner: “There’s no way you get away with this. Someone had to get tagged.” — Geoff Shackelford (@GeoffShac) July 21, 2017
“Like a punch to the gut,” he said to reporters after the match. McEnroe said he was so disappointed in his big brother he hadn’t even bothered to look at the tournament on television. “I was in a bad mood. I don’t know how I feel now, but I have so much anger inside of me, and so much hurt inside of me, that there’s no way you get away with this. Someone had to get tagged.”
Patrick McEnroe had huge praise for Osaka after the match: “She’s only 18 years old,” he said. “It’s going to be an exciting match.”
“Nerves were kicking in,” McEnroe added. “Once I saw how she handled herself in those situations, I realized there was something to it, she wasn’t just pretending like she was fine.”
In a Twitter message Saturday, McEnroe called the match “a gut-wrenching experience, but we have so much respect for Osaka, her talent and what she has to overcome, it’s nothing we can’t make better.”