"Beyond ridiculous" - John McEnroe professing ignorance over Nicolas Jarry during Wimbledon commentary baffles John Millman

Former US Open quarterfinalist John Millman has criticized John McEnroe for openly admitting that he did not know much about World No. 28 Nicolas Jarry during his live Wimbledon commentary.

Jarry, 27, was seeded 25th in the tournament and bowed out to top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the third round on Saturday, July 8. The Chilean earlier defeated Marco Cecchinato and Jason Kubler in the first two rounds of the grasscourt Slam.

Jarry posed a serious threat to the World No. 1 and even attempted to stage a late comeback, but in vain. At the end of almost four hours, the Spaniard beat Jarry 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the fourth round.

Commentating on the Wimbledon match, former World No. 1 John McEnroe admitted to not knowing much about the Chilean and that the tennis world would get to know him gradually.

"we don’t know Jarry but we’ll get to know him," the American said.

McEnroe's statement did not go down well with John Millman. The latter turned to social media to reflect on McEnroe's "ridiculous" statement. He further highlighted that Nicolas Jarry was ranked 28th among millions of tennis players, which he believes should be enough for anyone to know him.

"How a commentator can say “we don’t know Jarry but we’ll get to know him” is beyond ridiculous. 87 million people play tennis worldwide and this guy is the 28th best at it currently," Millman wrote on Twitter.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion McEnroe is not new to controversy. During his playing days, he was often seen arguing with the match officials and displaying questionable on-court behavior.

He has continued his relationship with controversy after retirement. McEnroe has been called out several times even as a commentator, for his remarks about the likes of Emma Raducanu and Serena Williams, among others.

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How has Nicolas Jarry fared in the 2023 season?

Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters - Day Four

Nicolas Jarry played through the qualifiers to earn a main draw spot at the 2023 Australian Open. The Chilean beat Mimor Kecmanovic in the first round but lost to Ben Shelton in the second.

Jarry had an impressive outing in the Rio Open, where he beat the likes of Lorenzo Musetti and Sebastian Baez to reach the semifinals. Up against Carlos Alcaraz, the Chilean won the first set but eventually lost the match.

Playing next on his home turf, at the Chile Open, Jarry ended up winning the trophy. En route to his title run, the 27-year-old defeated Diego Schwartzman, Yannick Hanfmann and Tomas Martin Etcheverry, among others.

Nicolas Jarry won the second title of his season at the Geneva Open. The Chilean beat several higher-ranked players, such as Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov, to lift the trophy.