ESPN’s Pat McAfee never mentions tennis on his daily show, so fans knew it would take some controversy to get his attention about what happened at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.
McAfee joined the chorus of others online and elsewhere in criticizing the referee’s ruling on Daniil Medvedev’s interference claim against Jack Draper in their quarterfinal match.
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What Pat McAfee Said
In classic McAfee fashion, his tweet included some profanity. He admitted he didn’t know much about tennis, but still labeled it “bu$$s&*t.”
His argument, similar to Jack Draper’s, is that Draper’s arm action is not important enough to be distracting and therefore a hindrance to Daniil Medvedev.
The referee seemed uncertain which way to rule, but ultimately chose Medvedev.
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After the game, Draper and Medvedev exchanged civil words about the call, with Draper insisting it was not interference.
Taking Pat McAfee’s side, former ATP player Tennys Sandgren argued that if Medvedev felt this way, he should have dropped the point. He shouldn’t be called after four shots.
Technology can’t make a call
In tennis, e-claims apply to virtually everything, including faults, foot faults, and out-of-ball balls. This took some of the controversy and subjectivity out of the sport and sped up the game.
Aside from clock management, which Carlos Alcaraz recently spoke about using his expletive, situations like Medvedev and Draper are another area where referees put themselves in the game by making potentially game-deciding calls.
Mededev won the first set convincingly, but when this call was made the second set was tied at 5-5. If things had gone Draper’s way, would it have made a difference and fueled a comeback? We’ll never know.
Jack Draper sits as Daniil Medvedev walks by during the BNP Paribas Open quarterfinals at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Indian Wells, California.
One thing is for sure: if Pat McAfee, who is hugely popular with ESPN, which holds the broadcasting rights to three of tennis’ four Grand Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open), declares that he doesn’t like tennis because of this nonsense, it doesn’t help the sport gain new followers and fans.
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