Senior US Open Staff Slams John McEnroe After ‘Grandma’ Comment During Novak Djokovic Versus Taylor Fritz Match

When Novak Djokovic was playing against Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinal of the recently concluded US Open, John McEnroe, in the ESPN commentary box, made a “hurtful” comment about a senior US Open staff member. The staffer, Susan Perkins, criticized McEnroe for making her feel embarrassed.

This incident happened when Perkins was seen giving restrung rackets to one of the players. When she appeared on the screen, McEnroe in the commentary box said, “Thank you, grandma“.

I would like to tell John McEnroe that his comments, such as “good time for her age group” and “grandma,” felt dismissive and hurtful rather than humorous. I was simply doing my job, delivering a restrung racket to a player. His job is to comment on the players, not other people working on the court.

Susan Perkins told Sportskeeda

Perkins said she has been working as a court attendant for the last 20 years at the US Open; that, because she enjoys tennis so much, she even gave up her two-week vacation to work during the tournament. She said she was reluctant to go to the court as she was afraid that McEnroe would say “more derogatory” things about her.

It is one thing to jest, it’s another to stereotype someone based on age. I’ve worked at the US Open for years and spent that time supporting the sport with pride and professionalism, yet those comments made me feel invisible and mocked.

Susan Perkins added

Perkins also thanked all the fans who supported her. She also revealed that ESPN approached her and told her they would talk to McEnroe, but she was still waiting to hear from them.

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