Novak Djokovic interview on the US Open & winning Olympic gold + John McEnroe joins | SC with SVP

John McEnroe joins Johnny Mack as advertised kind enough to join us it was really a treat to visit with you during some Live Match action and now joining me I feel like I made the big time now yeah scottf Pelt show sports center it's only been 65 years you've been doing a 10 the late night but you were on it for how long you've been working here 30 years it's been 25 or something like that finally finally you feel like you made it they ever say how about getting that old guy Mack androe in the guy that he did pretty well at the open only four yeah today and here you are I hope than for one of my best friends you're his alltime guy I think he's just like how did this idiot that would be me get to talk to you I I would ask you as we begin here on this first day if you give me a headline an overarching headline of what what this event has in store where do you where do you start where's the headline begin a lot of confusion because of what happened with Center y the Olympics just took place so there's a lot of tired players you know how are they going to respond cuz they put so much effort and emotion into it most of the players that were at the Olympics have not done well since MH so is jokovic going to be able to dig deep enough his alcaraz a little burnt cuz he won the French and Wimbledon you know how much does he have left in the tank how's this going to affect CER you would think that that opens the door God forbid Scot for American maybe a Shelton God Francis TFO I love those two guys Sebastian Corda Tommy Paul Fritz they're on the top 20 we need an American to win one so it's been a minute it's been a minute it's been more than a minute but yeah it has you mentioned CER there is confusion frankly right you have two positive tests back in March it's either positive or it's not right I think the comments from jokovic they resonated with me like what are we doing is it the same for everybody or isn't it how how did it land with you that news well first of all I hate the fact that it takes 6 months before it comes out like why in the hell doesn't it come out right away and someone determine what you know took place I don't know what point1 what is it if you if if it was caught with a lot is it 0.003 I don't know or is it 0.12 or is it 1 point2 I don't know any of those things so it seems hard this guy doesn't look exactly like Hulk Hogan you know no so you know you don't the last guy I would have thought okay that would be tested positive for some type of steroid is sinner for God's sakes and then he's been dealing with this for six months mhm a lot seems like we got to do better than that in our Sports so I mean I listen in the NFL for example people test positive for steroids and they're out for a month that's it I I believe you tell me but I think that's the case you can be suspended for four years tennis it's got tough testing so I I'm surprised that like after they determined that this was um an accident okay okay no problem you just but why would he lose his points at the tournament he played then it makes no sense so it's it's somewhat a typically confusing um statement from everyone in tennis this is why our sport I think our sport could do a lot better if the players were more involved as we had a union for example we don't have a union we have an association why are we in Partnerships how far off tangent can I get here John ma it's New York City my man you can go until you're exhausted we we have a union that uh with the tournament directors why in the hell would we have a union with tournament I mean an association we should have a union for players okay and those that Union should take care of a situ like this and but it but it doesn't so I guess CER got away with some of this because he could afford to like you know put you know continue to play while this is happening most players couldn't do that I don't think so I it just it creates a poll that feels unnecessary I I agree you had time to sort this out and not have one of your biggest events played under a headline such as that you mentioned the Olympics and I'm I'm really interested in how you as accomplished a player as you were react acted to what you saw from jokovic when he won because I had never seen him react in that way and I found it just remarkably moving to see it mean that much to him what' you think well I I agree in essence from 1924 to 1988 there was no tennis in the Olympics in the beginning I was playing that I thought it was why are Pros in the Olympics this doesn't make sense but eventually the Dream Team came along and they realized that this could be a good thing for all concern M but now it's become totally professional so to to the players I believe the majors have always been the most important but as far as the countries they represent particularly a small country like Serbia that's got a lot more meaning you know so that's the only thing he hadn't won you know he's won everything numerous times right so I get it his age you know when he had gone through the surgery lost at wimbl hadn't won a tournament all year to be able to do that against alcarez who's like my my favorite player to watch right now this guy is electric I love alcarez to beat him six and six at the Olympics at Roland gal I mean that was so sweet for our sport to see that he's going to join us live I'm going to ask him about it especially you had to retire at Roland Garris because the injury he dust youw at Wimbledon and you beat him in the in the way that he did I I just I found it all uh pretty remarkable now when I was on with you during this match I said I know you got a big day tomorrow you got to get out of here I'm going to date us both here very just real quick on the way out I'm going to go back to my days back in the mid 80s elic Hall University of Maryland on the wall there was a poster you might remember the poster reble with the cost uh it was a guy in New York Johnny in the background I think we got it if we don't then I'm I'm there we go there it is so that was that was on the that was on the wall of well that's when I'm using a wood racket that's how far back that goes that's the Twin Towers behind me so New York City represent and you did and I just would ask you this as a New Yorker this venue this tournament that you won four times just explain to me what what what all is wrapped up in this event John for you well for me personally I uh first tournament I ever played was at the old location Forest Hills uh as a tennis I was 8 years old and a half years old I ball boyed for the US Open um I obviously played uh many US opens the last one at Forest Hills then it moved to this location I grew up 15 minutes from here my first US Open final I played my late great friend vus galius who also was from Queens Scott you know how many times that had happened before where two kids from Queens played the finals of us on let me answer you none none you know how many times it's happened since none they were booing us the crowd because they wanted Borg and Connors that's all right it's like jokovic I I relate a little bit cuz when I was coming up it was Connors and Borg they were the two greatest players they were like legendary obviously I just wanted to get in the mix with these guys a little bit jokovic asked him you know to get to that point with feder and Nal to do what he's done is so amazing to me because I was always frustrated and I took great pride that I hopefully got to somewhere close to that level I got the respect of that and part of that was because of this event I was sitting there playing US Open finals or semis and Jack Nicholson sitting there 10t from they used to have them on the court I'm like are you kidding me of course let me think can I get inspired you know do watching or you know seeing him get from Queens and so you just take it from there and and now you look at the event they've really it they've added to it they put a lot of resources into it's a beautiful thing I know you you about to cut the commercial you know the drill I'm just I'm just going to try to get you out of here so jokovic can come here and you can get ready for you can get ready for tomorrow it's a treat to BU I'll have me again sometimes you made the big time huh how about it that's only took 65 finally thank you Novak Djokovic interview this guy huh you and I were just visiting as you sat down it's the first time I've ever been lucky enough to come here they told me you were playing here at night and I said it' be a treat if we got a chance to do this it's really a pleasure to meet you in person after all the years covering you because I have such an appreciation for your will to compete I'm going to get to that in a minute I want to just ask first about tonight when you're playing someone in the first round were you're supposed to win right and that's the expectation what's the mentality that you bring with you into a match such as tonight well first of all welcome to US Open it's great to have you here um obviously been a fan of your show been watching it for years and it's great to uh finally meet you and get the get to uh share the stage uh uh in person with you um obviously you know every every win I every match that I get to play it's uh it's uh it's a thrill especially here at the US Open night sessions are just electric just so different from any anything else best night sessions in the history of our sport great energy from the crowd um it gets you going um obviously waited for my match for started you know we almost started at 10 p.m. and kind of almost almost clocked the midnight and the crowd stayed stayed in on the biggest stadium of our Sports so I'm really appreciative of that and I wanted to Kickstart this tournament in in a right way I think I did you know some ups and downs which is is is is normal I think you're kind of getting out the the rust of your shoulders sure you know coming uh off from a different surface you know Olympic Games games haven't played on hardcourts in in six months so I'm still kind of finding that Groove finding that Tempo on the court and I have actually a fun fact about tonight's opponent I've never faced him but I have two younger brothers and they both were playing professional tennis uh they're retired now but they both played him and they both lost to him so I feel like I feel like this is there was so much at stake tonight for jowi brothers I feel like I I I that was a revenge for for my younger brothers against albet Jokes Aside you know he's a great guy he's a big competitor's I think 34 35 he's been around for for many years your brothers can rest easy tonight because you you you sorted things out you you referenced the energy here and we have a late night show we came on one night I believe it was an alcaraz match I think we came on at about almost 3:00 in the morning and we didn't care because I I love this and from afar I've always loved the energy and now tonight to get to experience it how do you describe what it what it is I wonder can you use this energy do you tap into the energy of what the US Open kind of provides because it would feel like you could but it would also feel like maybe it could be too much like the third rail right for the subway right I I don't know how do you treat it yeah I think you know as you um as you go along and and and and progress in the tournament you got to kind of uh be connected to you you know how you feel on a given day sometimes you really want to be you know uh internalizing everything and really not paying too much attention what's going on around you but sometimes you know you want to connect to the crowd on a on a high level you want to communicate to them you want them to support you you want them to cheer you on you want them to uh to you want you want to get things going on uh uh on the court at the stadium on the stands because sometimes you feed off that energy you know and uh tonight um it was a bit of a slower start but uh as as we went deeper into the match and deeper into the night I think uh crowd really uh really wanted to uh I guess entertain themselves have fun and it was a couple of great points and I try to put them on their feet uh and it was fun it was fun it always is specially as I said electric atmosphere just you know New York is one of the best cities in the world and a city that never sleeps and you know the crowd comes from all over the world to support tennis players and and this marvelous tennis tournament uh it's it's one of the four majors it's one of the four most important tournaments we have in our Sports so you know the history and everything you can feel it you know but it it keeps on surprising me even even better and better each year that I keep on coming back and as I say I love playing nice sessions these are the by far my favorite night sessions here at D Stadium they're the most important Winning gold at the Olympics tournaments of the year the Olympics is not a slam and yet I I've rarely seen something that that I felt as moved by as watching you win the gold medal because it was so evident there was that shot of your hand trembling what it meant and I just would ask as best as you can to to explain to what it was we were seeing in that in that moment when that dream was realized that you were an Olympic champion Pride Joy uh huge relief because I I mean I've been blessed to achieve many great things in in our Sport and that was probably the only big achievement that was missing so you know the anticipation before this year's Olympic games were great was great and I uh I really wanted to do well uh for my country for my family for myself and you know there's an image of uh and footage of me hugging my daughter and really you know expressing all the all the emotions that were kind of uh in a way supressed and you know uh I had some of the most heartbreaking losses in my my whole career at Olympic Games probably the most heartbreaking losses in Rio 2016 in Tokyo 2020 21 and so at 37 I thought you know maybe this is my last chance this my last shot so I covered golf my whole career in this business and so tiger I learn never say he can't do something right but I'm looking at this and I'm saying La in four years I'm not saying you can't at least hear me say that but the odds are probably not great right this was this was the window where it had to be and yet you're playing a man who you just played who who obviously is as good as anyone in the world and and exactly you had to retire at Roland garos because of the knee I just it felt like all these things conspired to create a lane for you where nothing could represent what that moment was could it I mean I I do actually believe in destiny and I do believe that uh you know the higher forces at play you know in in certain stages of your life of your career uh this was one of these moments uh and it was like a movie script honestly playing garas in the finals and few weeks before that we played finals of Wimbledon and he uh he kicked my ass on the court honestly you know he played so well I think that actually worked in my favor because I felt like you know I probably cannot do worse than I did against him there in Wimbledon finals was not a good match for me me uh I knew he's going to come out on the court and play on a high level so but I felt good about my chances because the entire tournament I felt great played great and I didn't lack any motivation because you know you're playing for your country Olympic games are the oldest most important sports event in the history of sports so there's something extra you know the the fellow Olympians from a Serbian Olympic team were there and how they greeted me when I went back to the Olympic Village is something Unforgettable is something something unique I it is the highlight of my career awesome I've I've never experienced uh such an intense emotions on the court so I'm very grateful for that you know what I jotted down that Curry LeBron KD they they like you have achieved great things perhaps in some ways greater than than a gold medal and yet to see what it meant to them I felt like it was the same thing you've got 24 of these slams but to see what that meant as a fan of sports i i i as I said I've rarely been moved by by something quite like that it was really to get a chance to say hi it's very late at night I know I know you have to go it it was an honor also you mentioned the the the the Dream Team the US basketball team and incredible effort obviously for them guys I mean they played my Serbia in the semis and they they were down 13 in the fourth very close I was on the edge of my seat but uh you know kudos to them and it it was amazing privilege to be part of the Olympic Games where this this these oldtime grades alltime Sports grades were were part of it as well so just to witness that was was amazing go get 25 this week it's a pleasure to meet you pleasure to meet you too thank you jovic a winner tonight here in the US Open as he tries to win his 25th slam here in New York New York [Music]