A Wimbledon star who was ‘disrespected’ by tennis legend John McEnroe will be eager to make a proper name for himself at the All England Club next month. Nicolas Jarry, who’s ranked No. 19 in the world, infamously caught McEnroe off guard during last year’s tournament at SW19 after meeting eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the third round.
Ahead of the tie, which Alcaraz won in four sets, McEnroe said from the commentary box: “We don’t know Jarry but we’ll get to know him.”
He was roundly blasted on social media for the comment, with fans accusing the American of failing to do his homework.
One particularly irked person fumed on X: “It’s amazing, it’s disrespectful, and it shows McEnroe does not do his job. Anyone can go on YouTube and watch vids, learn Jarry’s game, and come prepared to commentate.”
Despite being bested by Alcaraz a year ago, Jarry recorded a monumental win over the Spaniard in Buenos Aires back in February, which hopefully, for the sake of viewers tuning into Wimbledon next week, caught McEnroe’s eye.
That said, Jarry has thus far failed to capitalise on the huge win, and a disappointing showing at the French Open last month, where he was beaten in the first round by unfancied Frenchman Corentin Moutet, offered little indication that the Chilean is ready to take his game up a gear.
The best he’s ever done at a major is reach the fourth round – a feat he achieved during last year’s French Open, and if he reaches that same stage at Wimbledon next month he’ll most likely face World No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Gulp.
First up though is a clash with Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who’s currently unseeded. It’s the first-ever meeting between the pair, and although Jarry is the favourite, he could be a little rusty given the fact he hasn’t played a single match since he was dumped out of Roland Garros.
That said, the clash has potential to be an absolute corker. Shapavalov, 25, is a former Wimbledon semi-finalist, as well as a Paris Masters finalist, and back in 2020, was ranked No. 10 in the world.
He’s also a bold, high-risk player, capable of producing some absolutely blinding shots, mostly via his explosive cannon of a backhand, which some have likened to Stan Wawrinka’s. And Jarry is no slouch either, becoming the first Chilean to reach a Masters final since 2007 back in May at the Italian Open before falling to a 6-4, 7-5 defeat to Alexander Zverev.
There aren’t always fireworks during first-round matches at Wimbledon and sometimes they aren’t even competitive but this one should be close and may even be the game of the day.
