Is John McEnroe ever going to be taught?

John McEnroe’s pronunciation of Alexander Zverev’s name during the 2026 Australian Open’s men’s singles quarterfinals led to several tennis fans once again calling out the American tennis legend. Some opined that McEnroe should be barred from calling matches involving the World No. 3 from Germany.

On Friday, January 30, Alexader Zverev clashed against reigning World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz from Spain for a spot in the men’s singles final in Melbourne. John McEnroe, calling the match for ESPN, repeatedly mispronounced the German’s last name, and fans on X (formerly Twitter) were far from pleased with the fact that despite having called Zverev’s matches on many occasions before, the 66-year-old still continues to make mistakes.

“Is John McEnroe ever going to learn that “Zverev” is 2 syllables not 3?,” one fan asked.

“John McEnroe’s pronunciation of “Zuh-verev.” 💀 #AusOpen,” commented another.

“STOP PUTTING JOHN MCENROE ON ZVEREV MATCHES,” another fan chimed in.

“The way John McEnroe says Zverev’s name truly hurts my ears,” claimed one.

“Another torturous few hours listening to John McEnroe pronounce Zverev like that #AustralianOpen,” another added.

“I’ll never understand why John McEnroe cannot pronounce Zverev. Dude, it’s not Zuh-ver-ev. Do better – be a professional. #AO26 @espn #AustralianOpen,” weighed in yet another fan.

Alexander Zverev has chance of beating Carlos Alcaraz in Australian Open SF, says John McEnroe

Ahead of the men’s singles semifinal clash between Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz in Melbourne, John McEnroe said the German has a chance of beating the Spaniard, as he did two years ago in the last eight.

“(Zverev has) got a shot at it (beating Carlos Alcaraz), for sure. He seems to be in a good space, a better space than I’ve seen him for a while. Mentally and physically, in the brief times I’ve talked to him, he seems to be what we see. He feels really good about where he’s at. So he can let it all hang out. There’s a huge upside,” McEnroe said during a virtual media briefing.

At the time of writing, Alcaraz is leading Zverev by two sets to one. However, the Spaniard is experiencing cramps, which may very well decide the outcome of the match. The German finished as the runner-up in Melbourne last year after Jannik Sinner defeated him in straight sets.