John McEnroe blasts BBC commentator and says Wimbledon bosses 'won't be happy'
Reed made the comment while commentating on British No.1 Jack Draper's first-round victory over Sebastian Baez on Tuesday.
Draper, seeded fourth in the men's singles, saw his victory secured in the third set as Baez retired from the No.1 Court match due to injury problems.
The Brit was leading 6-2 6-2 2-1 when world No.38 Baez retired – but even before the injury – Draper was in firm control and barely broke a sweat.
Draper's dominant performance led to Reed describing the clash as a 'practice match', which appeared to irk American tennis legend McEnroe.
'I don't think the All England Club will be too happy with you saying this first-round match on Court 1 is practice,' McEnroe, who is also working for the BBC this year, bluntly told Reed.
Reed then seemed to try and save face and replied: 'You know what I mean.'
Wimbledon always strive to ensure Centre Court and No.1 Court matches are of the highest quality given they are the two biggest courts in SW19.
Draper, speaking after his win over Baez, said: 'I wanted to play a bit longer in all honesty. I felt I was getting my tennis together.
'Obviously it is no way to win like that and I wish Sebastian the best in his recovery.'
Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula revealed at this year's Championships that she believes men's tennis should be reduced from five sets to three sets.
Draper was quizzed for his thoughts on a possible rule change in his post-match press conference on Tuesday and said: 'I think my personal opinion is that the Grand Slams, it's amazing that it's five sets.
'That's the prestige to a Grand Slam. It's almost a different sport. That's why it's so amazing to win one, because it's the ultimate challenge as a tennis player. I think, yeah, they can be very long. More Trending
'I think, as a fan of tennis, the ups and downs of a five-set match, obviously only happens four times a year in the Grand Slams, yeah, it's tough for the guys sometimes playing so long.
'At the same time, I think if we lose the five sets, we lose the kind of prestige of the Grand Slams.
'For me, I think maybe a couple years ago if you asked me do you want to get rid of the five sets, I'd be like sign for it within an hour.
'I think now I understand the importance of just how amazing it is to be able to play. If you're going to win one, it's like the ultimate challenge.'
MORE: Wimbledon 2025 prize money round-by-round
MORE: BBC finally drops series that fans were adamant should 'never be made'
MORE: Nick Kyrgios calls out Wimbledon bosses for mistake over 148-year tradition
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
14 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Cameron Norrie takes inspiration from Andy Murray in latest Wimbledon win
Cameron Norrie mirrored two-time champion Andy Murray by harnessing the energy of a merry Wimbledon crowd to keep the British flag flying. Jack Draper's surprise second-round loss on Thursday to former finalist Marin Cilic left Norrie as the last home hope standing in the men's draw in SW19. To the delight of high-spirited spectators on his favoured Court One, the 2022 semi-finalist delivered, recovering from a slow start to dispatch Italian world number 73 Mattia Bellucci 7-6 (5) 6-4 6-3. Cameron Norrie is here to stay 👇 It's a straight set victory for the Brit as he defeats Mattia Bellucci 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-3 to move into the fourth round 🇬🇧 #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2025 British number three Norrie will take on Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry in round four, with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz a potential quarter-final opponent. 'It's important to use the crowd to your advantage,' he said. 'I was just pulling from random people, getting fired up with them. You can see they're loving it. 'Obviously Friday afternoon, people had a few drinks. I could feel that. Getting behind me. It was nice to see. 'I wanted to try to give them something to cheer about. I think the people quite like it when you look at them and get fired up. They feel like they've played a part in the win. 'I wanted to pull from the energy from not just my team but from some random people in the crowd. I've seen Andy Murray do that a lot in his matches. Yeah, it was so much fun today.' Norrie, who has plummeted from a career-high ranking of eighth to 61st, conceded he 'stole' an unconvincing opening set from Bellucci on a tie-break after being broken in the opening game. He gradually took control of a tight contest to enhance his enviable Court One record, having won eight of nine matches there across his career, including his impressive second-round success over 12th seed Frances Tiafoe. The 29-year-old is also open to returning to Centre Court – the scene of his four-set, last-four defeat to Novak Djokovic three years ago – for Sunday's showdown with Jarry but will not be making any official requests. 'If I'm playing my next match on Centre Court, that's great,' he said. CAM STORMS INTO ROUND FOUR AT WIMBLEDON!! 💪 It's a top performance from @cam_norrie who's through to the last 16 in SW19 #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 | #Wimbledon — LTA (@the_LTA) July 4, 2025 'I feel there's the tendency to be a little bit more respectful on that Centre Court in terms of energy and crowd, noise and everything. 'I felt like today on Court One, there were a few difficult moments for me that the crowd got really fired up – some love 30 (down), love 40 (down). 'I managed to switch the energy and switch the momentum of the match. I think that was huge to use that today. Yeah, I felt that. 'I obviously played Centre Court a few times. The match with Djokovic, they got loud as well. I'm not saying that doesn't happen. 'I just feel a little bit more on Court One – it's maybe just a little bit biased (because of) winning there and playing well there.'
Powys County Times
14 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Emma Raducanu goes down swinging in thrilling loss to Aryna Sabalenka
Emma Raducanu reminded the tennis world what a special talent she is before her Wimbledon hopes were ended with a narrow loss to world number one Aryna Sabalenka. The 22-year-old played some electrifying tennis under the roof on Centre Court but was unable to apply the finishing touches, eventually going down 7-6 (6) 6-4 after exactly two hours. The first set alone took 74 minutes, with Raducanu saving seven set points and creating one of her own, while she led 4-1 in the second before Sabalenka recovered to set up a fourth-round clash with Elise Mertens. Raducanu will now drop to British number three behind Katie Boulter and Sonay Kartal, who is the last home woman left in singles, but that will not be the case for long if she can maintain this level.
The Herald Scotland
23 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Nuno Borges says Wimbledon blocked Portugal shirt as tribute to Diogo Jota
'I know Wimbledon is usually not very flexible with attire,' Borges told the PA news agency. 'But I was told we could still do something to pay our respects for what happened, so I think it was a nice gesture. 'He was a great footballer. It was a tragedy.' Francisco Cabral of Portugal wearing a black ribbon in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota (Mike Egerton/PA) Borges, who lost a five-set thriller, said his agent contacted Wimbledon about the idea of wearing a Portugal shirt, and even tried to source a white version to comply with dress rules, but it was not approved. 'We initially talked about getting a full jersey to walk on court,' he said. 'I even tried to find one in white, but it was turned down, so we ended up doing something a little smaller.' Asked if Wimbledon should have allowed the shirt, he said: 'I think that's what makes Wimbledon special and different from every other Slam, so I really don't know.' Wimbledon relaxed its 148-year-old dress code in light of Jota's death, allowing players to wear black ribbons or armbands. Borges was among several players who did, including fellow Portuguese doubles player Francisco Cabral. Cabral, who wore a ribbon on his shirt sleeve during a doubles match with Lucas Miedler, said: 'Yesterday the idea of wearing a black strap came up – that was not allowed. 'I asked for permission to use the black ribbon and they let me play with it.' He described it as 'an honour', adding: 'It was not for the best reason – he was an inspiration not only for me but for the country in general. 'He made so much in the sport and conquered so much in my life. If I helped 1% for the family I will be super happy.' Cabral and Miedler lost their second-round match in straight sets to Czech pair Petr Nouza and Patrik Rikl. Wimbledon's dress code has long restricted visible colour on court, and tributes are rarely granted. The gesture marked a rare moment of flexibility from organisers, after the deaths of Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who were killed in Spain while travelling to catch a ferry to England. British doubles player and Liverpool fan Neal Skupski had also taken a black armband for his match on Thursday, but opted not to wear it after learning of the death of his grandmother shortly after coming off court. He said he may wear one 'in the next couple of days'.
