John McEnroe brutally mocked by former rival Pat Cash over BBC Wimbledon role

16 July 2023 , 12:47

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John McEnroe and Pat Cash enjoyed some banter before Sunday's Wimbledon final

Pat Cash was quick to make fun of his old rival John McEnroe during the BBC's coverage of the men's singles final at Wimbledon.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic, 36, will take on No.1 seed Carlos Alcaraz, 20, in Sunday afternoon's final on Centre Court. It promises to be a brilliant contest, with many pundits backing the emerging talent to beat the veteran superstar.

Ahead of the final, McEnroe and Cash enjoyed some banter live on the BBC. McEnroe said: "Cashy I haven't seen you [in a while] in person, man. I mean I've been watching you on TV, but we haven't seen each other in person. It's great to see you."

Cash replied: "I watch you on TV too, until I can get to the off button... I'm only joking mate!"

The two laughed before embracing with a big hug. American hero McEnroe and Australian icon Cash twice faced each other at Wimbledon during their playing days, with the former winning both times. Both tennis legends are former Wimbledon champions.

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Djokovic is the favourite to win Sunday's final, but McEnroe has faith in Alcaraz. He said: "This will be a tall order for Carlos Alcaraz, especially after what happened in Paris [Djokovic defeated Alcaraz at this year's French Open]. Of course, he has a chance in the final.

The pair hugged after Cash's joke

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"If he does his thing and does it well I think he can win Wimbledon, absolutely. I think he will win Wimbledon on more than one occasion. I think he's ready to potentially win it this year. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens."

Martina Navratilova, who won the women's singles title at Wimbledon nine times, has offered her advice. She said: "Alcaraz goes 100 per cent for every shot and you have to pace yourself in best of five, particularly against Djokovic. You cannot be doing that."

Former British No.1 Tim Henman, meanwhile, thinks Alcaraz will be at his best. He said: "I think in normal circumstances there could be a bit of trepidation, but I think the way in which Carlos Alcaraz approaches these big matches, he's such a quick learner."

Henman also praised Djokovic's incredible longevity. He added: "When you're 20 years of age and as good as Carlos Alcaraz is, he is going to probably continue to improve. That's the incredible element of Novak Djokovic.

"At 36 you'd have thought most professional athletes, man or woman, would be slightly on the decline. But when you look at how he's playing in the biggest and best events, the way he played in Australia, at Roland Garros and then coming in to Wimbledon with no grass court preparation, no matches. He's just a man on a mission.

"I think it's incredible the level that Djokovic is able to achieve."

Tom Blow