ESPN’s John McEnroe Talks US Open Semifinals, Knicks with Rich

The first time Rich called the US Open, he was dropped into a grandstand in the middle of a fifth-set tiebreak, and John McEnroe walked in to call it with him. McEnroe's first words, as Rich tells it: he loved Rich in the "I Love the 80s" and "90s" shows on VH1. Rich felt at home on the spot.

Rich got that job after a call during his honeymoon with Susie, and as a kid from Staten Island, the answer was never in doubt. "This is the event of events."

Now McEnroe was on the show with a clear read on the men's semifinals. "Whoever wins this tonight's gonna win this whole thing," he said, referring to Ben Shelton against Frances Tiafoe. "I think the drought could finally end."

Earlier in the day, top seed Alexander Zverev faced Karen Khachanov with what looked like the easiest remaining path now that Carlos Alcaraz is out. McEnroe called Zverev a heavy favorite with a great draw, while noting he was two points from losing in the first round. He is one of the fittest players on tour and tough to beat in long matches, and this is the first time he has had the number one next to his name. McEnroe also mentioned Jannik Sinner is out with a knee injury, "we want him back soon."

The night match is where McEnroe's heart is. He sees Shelton, if he brings his A game, as slightly better than Tiafoe if both play their best. He said the head-to-head is 3 and 1 in Shelton's favor, and he likes Shelton's serve, especially the second serve. "If he can return the way he did against Alcaraz, I think you're going to see Ben Shelton win the entire thing."

But he loves both players. Tiafoe, who McEnroe used to call "the hugger" because he seemed so focused on everyone loving him, got himself into the shape he needed after a disappointing 2025, and it saved him. He has been down two sets to love twice in this tournament, including against Alex Michelsen, who served for the match and was up 3 to 0 in the fifth. McEnroe said Tiafoe has become more of a killer on court.

The stakes are bigger than one match. McEnroe pointed out it has been 23 years since Andy Roddick won the US Open, and he believes it has been around 90 majors without an American man winning one. "We got to put an end to this."

Rich noted Shelton just became the first American to beat Alcaraz in a major, after Alcaraz had gone 13 and 0 against Americans.

McEnroe called Shelton's win over Alcaraz "the match of his life" and "by far the best I've ever seen Ben Shelton play," a 7-6 fifth-set victory. The problem was the clock. It ended at 3:33 in the morning. McEnroe loved calling it but admitted he was ready for the fifth-set tiebreaker to arrive. Shelton didn't get to bed until 7:30, though two days off should help a 23-year-old.

For anyone who couldn't stay up, McEnroe described what they missed. Alcaraz has been his favorite player to watch the last couple of years. "He can do anything and everything and he oozes charisma," McEnroe said. "I don't know how he does it. Looks like he loves being out there. I was ready to kill people."

Alcaraz had missed four and a half months, including the French Open and Wimbledon, got sick during the match and was clearly fatigued. Shelton, who had lost all three previous meetings, returned better than ever. McEnroe's assessment of Alcaraz shows how big the win was. "Carlos is the greatest 23-year-old player," he said, throwing in Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at the same age. "He's better than anyone I've ever seen."

The latest McEnroe ever walked off a court was around 1:30 in the morning at the US Open, after a five-set loss to Michael Chang. This was the latest US Open finish ever, though McEnroe noted matches in Australia have gone later, including one involving Lleyton Hewitt that ended around 4:30.

That brought up Australia, and McEnroe had an opinion. "I think the Rams, by the way, made a big mistake," he said. "I've been to Australia 40 times. You can't go there and back in a day."

He tried every approach as a player. His great rival Ivan Lendl would arrive a month ahead of time, while McEnroe wanted to be home for Christmas, even if it cost him. His conclusion: "You got to give yourself a week like the 49ers did." For the record, last minute for the Australian Open meant a week before. Last minute on the seniors tour meant the night before.

McEnroe said the late-night problem is tough. The night sessions try to include one women's match and one men's match, and nobody can control the length. He was bothered that Venus Williams, at 46 and presumably playing her last US Open, went on court after midnight after most people had left.

His suggestion for the men, which he doubts will happen, is to play a 10-point tiebreaker at two sets all instead of a full fifth set. He likes best of five because it separates the majors from other tournaments, but coming back from those matches is a big ask.

He also reminded Rich of the old format, when the men played the semifinals on Saturday and the final on Sunday. "What kind of BS did these people come up with, not allow us to have one day to recover?"

Rich remembered that Super Saturday fondly for a different reason. In his Staten Island home, the rule was no television during dinner, except for Super Saturday, when his parents wheeled the black-and-white TV into the kitchen.

McEnroe then told the story of the most famous one. He finished a five-setter against Jimmy Connors at 11:20 at night and had to play Lendl at 4 the next day. He woke up so stiff he could barely move. Then he walked past the training room and saw Lendl, who had also won a fifth-set match, unable to stretch below his knees. McEnroe figured if he could get it done in two hours, he could win, and he did.

The next year went the other way. Lendl beat an injured Connors in about an hour and a half, while McEnroe went five sets against Mats Wilander in the heat. For the only time in his career, McEnroe prayed for rain. He was watching the Giants game on TV, and it was raining at the Meadowlands. Then the skies cleared. He got to the stadium at 20 minutes to 4 for a 4 o'clock match, went up 5-2 in the first set, and then felt everything drain out of his body. "That's probably the worst feeling you can feel as an athlete."

Rich saw Josh Hart in the booth with McEnroe and Chris Fowler. Hart is McEnroe's daughter Ava's favorite player and his too, with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns close behind.

McEnroe was 14 the last time the Knicks won a title before this one. He is 67 now. "The wait was finally over," he said. He was at game four, when the Knicks came back from 29 down, and called it the most epic sporting event he has ever attended. "The Knicks won. The Knicks did it. And maybe they can do it again before I drop dead."

He also connected it to the day. On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, McEnroe, who lives uptown and was in the city that day, said the attacks were devastating but brought New York together in a way he had never seen. For completely different reasons, he said, the Knicks finally winning brought the city together in a way it had not been since that day. "I don't think the city's been that together since," he said.

Rich added another layer to the night. Two American men of color are playing for a spot in the final in Arthur Ashe Stadium. McEnroe called Ashe a mentor who took him under his wing when people went after him for his behavior. "I only wish that he'd be here to see" it.

McEnroe grew up in Queens, was a ball boy at the US Open, won it, and still calls it. He has run a tennis academy on Randall's Island for more than 15 years, and his long-term dream is to develop a kid from Harlem, the Bronx, Staten Island or Queens who wins the US Open.

His next sports wish would be a Jets title, though he admitted he became a bit of a fair-weather Giants fan when Lawrence Taylor arrived. He is also a Mets fan, "so that's not looking particularly good." For now, he is simply grateful. "Thank God for the Knicks."

He closed with a hello for Susie. Rich reminded him that McEnroe inspired her on-air career, and McEnroe said he knew it. She did such a good job producing his segment for HBO that he encouraged her.