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American tennis legend John McEnroe has fumed at Rafael Nadal’s ongoing issues with the shot clock, taking aim at the Spanish star during his blockbuster French Open quarter-final against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Nadal and Djokovic faced off for a 59th time at Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday morning AEST, with the 21-time grand slam champion claiming a thrilling 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6 victory.
The marathon contest lasted more than four hours, stretching past 1am local time in Paris.
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The 35-year-old is renowned for his sloppiness with the shot clock, regularly receiving time violations for ignoring the 25-second countdown while serving.
And McEnroe was not impressed that Nadal repeatedly avoided punishment during his highly-anticipated contest with Djokovic.
“He should be penalised,” McEnroe moaned on Eurosport commentary.
“If you are going to do it, do it, otherwise don’t bother. It is like humouring everyone.
“It’s a joke! He takes a look at the clock again … one. He’s edging it, isn’t he? Shouldn’t they have it at 15 seconds on the second serve? 10? Something?
“Or don’t bother. It’s like, you can take as much time as you want on the second serve. How long is this game? 12 minutes? Jeez.”
Nadal eventually received a time violation in the second set, but was seemingly unfazed by the chair umpire’s call.
McEnroe also ripped into the vocal Paris crowd, who greeted Djokovic with a chorus of boos as he entered Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday.
Nadal, a 13-time French Open champion, has become a fan favourite at Roland Garros, while Djokovic’s highly-publicised off-court scandals have tarnished his reputation in the tennis community.
“No other player has had to deal with more adversity,” McEnroe said.
“It is unfair, I’ve got to say that. This guy has turned lemons into lemonade more often than any player in the history of tennis, and if you don’t think it bothers him, you’re nuts.
“He is so mentally tough that he can deal with this and somehow channel that anger and frustration over what he feels is a lack of respect – and I feel it is too.”
Djokovic showed signs of frustration in the fourth set, smacking the net with his racquet after missing a regulation volley.
The violent gesture sparked boos and jeers from the crowd, but Djokovic managed to break Nadal and go ahead 3-0.
Earlier in the week, McEnroe praised the Serbian for his ability to feed off negative energy on the court.
“He does it better than anyone I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“I didn’t do it as well. I felt like it affected me more than it helped me.
“I think there were times where it fuelled me, but he has done it consistently. He’s a remarkable player and person.”
An emotional Nadal held back tears in his on-court interview, and appeared to be surprised at the level he managed to reach.
“To win against Novak there’s only one way — to play at your best since the first point until the last,” he said.
“And tonight it was one of this magic nights for me. Unexpected level.
“Without a doubt there’s no other place like this one for me. It’s the most important court of my career, the most special one. And as I said, for me to feel the love of everyone here in Paris means everything to me.”
Nadal will face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in the French Open semi-finals on Friday evening AEST.
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