With the Australian Open set to begin on January 12, ESPN is facing pressure to fire John and Patrick McEnroe.

John McEnroe, a four-time US Open champion, has been with ESPN since 2009. The former world No. 1 has called countless matches over the past 15 years, providing blunt analysis on just about every top player. His brother Patrick, meanwhile, has been a play-by-play commentator and studio analyst for the Worldwide Leader In Sports.

With the main draw of the Australian Open set to begin on Jan. 18, ESPN has unveiled its on-air commentator lineup for Melbourne. Fans noticed that longtime broadcasters Brad Gilbert and Pam Shriver weren't part of that group.

Gilbert and Shriver confirmed they won't be representing ESPN at the 2026 Australian Open. That led to tennis fans asking what's next for the McEnroe brothers.

Despite fans wishing for them to be removed from ESPN, the McEnroe brothers are set to cover the Australian Open.

"Great start. They were insufferable," one fan said in response to this news. "Now get rid of the McEnroes."

"While neither is a fave, the McEnroes are the ones that make me mute more than anyone else on ESPN's coverage," a second fan wrote.

"Chris Evert and the McEnroes need to go," another fan commented. "John doesn’t know where he is half the time. Patrick is just there and sometimes he can be mean."

Chris Evert and the McEnroes need to go. Evert is a bitter racist hag and John doesn’t know where he is half the time. Patrick is just there and sometimes he can be mean.

— OnyxRose81 (@onyxrose81) January 7, 2026

Who else will cover the Australian Open?

ESPN revealed that Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler, Jason Goodall, Chris McKendry, CoCo Vandeweghe and several others will cover the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

“We’re excited about our Australian Open 2026 talent lineup,” said Linda Schulz, the vice president of production at ESPN. “The goal was to combine strong storytelling with trusted voices. We are especially thrilled to welcome longtime tennis fan and accomplished host, Malika Andrews. With the addition of Andrews and Eubanks, and the return of Wozniacki, our coverage will provide a vast perspective on the sport of tennis.”

Hopefully, the 2026 tennis season starts off with a bang.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Tennis section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.