John McEnroe Explodes at Young Fan, But Many Think He Did the Right Thing
Professional athletes have to deal with crowds, pressure, and (at-times) annoying fans throughout their careers, but that doesn't mean they are immune to losing their temeprs. Tempestuous tennis champ John McEnroe was caught on video earlier this week telling an autograph-seeking fan to “go f–k yourself." But while it was not a pretty scene, many actually believe the athlete was in the right.
John McEnroe Lays Into Pushy Fan
The 66-year-old legend was in the country serving as a commentator for the Australia Open. The incident occurred as McEnroe emerged from a car at Melbourne Airport, preparing to board his flight back to the United States. As McEnroe unloaded several large bags from the car, the fan asked him for an autograph. “Not right now, man,” McEnroe responds.
But the unidentified fan refused to take no for an answer, asking McEnroe once again, “Can I have a photo?” After once again being rebuffed, the fan told McEnroe he was one of his “heroes” and offered to help him carry his luggage into the airport. “I'm going to need you to stay away from me, okay?” McEnroe told him as he headed into the terminal with his entourage.
As the fan continued to follow McEnroe, his staff became involved trying to scurry the younger man away. “This guy, just get away,” McEnroe said while an airport official intervened. “Move him out of the way please,” the official ordered. As the fan kept pestering McEnroe for a photo, the athlete snapped: “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, I am leaving, time's up!”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lbEfv6dnlCU
As the fan tried to snap a surreptitious photo of McEnroe, he was told by the athlete’s staff to “leave him alone” and “respect our space.” “But can I just take a photo?' the boy asked again. At this point, McEnroe exploded. “Will you stop?” he screamed. “Stop! Jesus. I mean, are you kidding me? Go f–k yourself!”
Many Compared the Outburst to McEnroe's at the 1984 Australian Open
It didn’t take long for the clip to spread like wildfire on social media, with many comparing the meltdown to McEnroe’s career-defining fit at the 1984 Australian Open. But there was a crucial difference: in this case, many fans believed McEnroe was right to shout down the pushy fan, especially after giving him so much grace earlier on in the interaction.
Many Fans Sided with McEnroe
“We need to stop normalizing stalking behavior just because someone is famous,” one Reddit user wrote.
“The sheer amount of times McEnroe unequivocally refuses a photo and/or expresses clear annoyance,” wrote another. “I count ten times before the ‘f–k yourself’ comment in just this edited footage alone. This is creepy behaviour—the idea that if you wear someone down enough times that maybe they’ll give in to you—is a very dangerous idea. The parents (or whatever adults are accompanying in this picture) should have also firmly told him to stop after the first refusal, rather than seemingly being in on the harassment.”
Even those not normally on McEnroe’s side were inclined to support him in this instance. “Yeah, I'm on his side here,” another added, “and I think he can be f–king annoying when commentating. He clearly expressed his situation—‘No, I need you to leave me alone now’—and yet was still stalked and filmed by multiple people with what seemed to be the express purpose of baiting him into a rage.”