John McEnroe responds eagerly to Rafael Nadal's request for US Open talks

John McEnroe has responded ardently to Rafael Nadal after the 22-time Grand Slam champion demanded talks with the American. McEnroe slammed the Spanish superstar during his US Open first-round clash with Rinky Hijikata over the time he was taking between serves and suggested the player receive preferential treatment from the referees. p>

Following McEnroe's comments, Nadal told reporters at a press conference: "I think it's a joke. I got a lot of warnings throughout my tennis career and never for breaking a racquet or for making a mess on the court. But yes, I have for the clock.

"The problem for players like me who sweat a lot, you know when you go get the towel you're going to have problems with the weather, so I don't go there very often.

"I follow the rules. If I have more than 25 seconds, I get a warning every time. If not, check the clock. I don't think I get any different treatment at all. I don't understand why John can say that on TV, but I'll talk to him later."

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McEnroe saw the footage from Nadal's perspective on the situation as part of his pundit work for Eurosport. And he didn't hold back with his follow-up comments.

“Why did they throw me under the bus?” exclaimed the seven-time Grand Slam winner. "We didn't have that conversation. But let me add that he didn't let me finish, whoever that stupid journalist was. Rafael Nadal has the right to do whatever he wants. is part of why you become as good as you are. You have to deal with it - and it's not up to him.

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"We all know he's been doing this for 10 or 15 years. There's nothing new about that. It's not his decision, it's the referee's. By the way, I think it's BS anyway, that thing. No one cares about that. It should be automatic if you're actually going to do it, right.

"When do they turn it on? When do they? Is it at the end of the point, is it when they get to the towel, is it when the crowd goes down? I said his legacy was stained because he takes too long. Jiminy Cricket."