Tennis great John McEnroe made his feelings clear ahead of this weekend’s Wimbledon women’s singles final.
Saturday’s action saw Poland’s Iga Swiatek take on American Amanda Anisimova on Centre Court, in what was a first Wimbledon final for both competitors.
As the pair prepared to make the walk to compete in front of a packed audience at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Swiatek could be seen donning a pair of over-ear headphones.
While the sight of athletes listening to music before a decisive event as a means of psyching themselves up is commonplace in many sports, three-time Wimbledon winner McEnroe insisted the practice is unnecessary.
Speaking live on the BBC as part of his punditry duties, the outspoken American claimed Swiatek would be better served taking in the enormity of the occasion.
‘They shouldn’t allow them to wear AirPods or headphones,’ McEnroe said.
John McEnroe insisted that tennis stars should not be able to listen to music before a match
Iga Swiatek donned headphones before Saturday’s women’s singles final at Wimbledon
The 24-year-old subsequently defeated Amanda Anisimova to claim her sixth Grand Slam title
‘Because you have got to get them to enjoy [the atmosphere] instead of playing some music. Come on now, ladies.’
World No 4 Swiatek previously revealed that she listens to classic rock music before her matches as a means of psyching herself up for competition.
The ritual appears to have been effective as Swiatek was utterly dominant once play got underway.
Clearly struggling to meet the occasion of her first Grand Slam final, Anisimova failed to build any momentum as she hit eight double faults and made 28 unforced errors.
Swiatek ultimately claimed victory in just 57 minutes, winning 6-0, 6-0 to mark her sixth Grand Slam triumph.
The only other 6-0, 6-0 defeat in a final at Wimbledon came in 1911, when Dora Boothby lost to Dorothea Lambert Chambers.
