John McEnroe has used a trip to Spain to come down hard on modern player complaints of a tennis schedule which is leaving players injured as an 11-month campaign drags on.

Mac, noted these days as a controversial tennis commentator, certainly gave “get off my lawn” vibes as he blasted the current ATP crop of competitors.

The ongoing Shanghai Masters is missing world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz through injury as the season hits the final sprint to the mid-November Finals in Turin.

“We used to play more than they’re playing now , just so you know,” the 67-year-old said of his career which began half a century ago..

“Maybe it’s physically harder, or maybe they get more tired, I don’t know. They say they play very fast. Perhaps they need to rest more.”

The American told radio Cadena Ser: “We used to play the Australian Open at Christmas, and now I get the feeling that tennis players play whenever they want.”

Mac said that today’s boatloads of prize money can apparently buy tennis happiness – as long as players keep plugging away on the tournament treadmill.

“Tournaments are all about money; there are a thousand competitions, so they earn more. They give you more days, and you keep making money.”

More and more players are joining the chorus of complaints about the expanded Masters 1000 series – formerly lasting the standard seven days.

Under the current ATP iteration, the event can now stretch to 12-13 days, draining players of energy and leaving little or no time between one event and the other on a chock-a-block calendar.

Novak Djokovic on Friday staked his claim on a spot in the ATP Finals after losing his opening match at the Shanghai Masters.

The winner of the Beijing title for a record seventh time, went down quickly in Shanghai to polish giant Hubi Hurkacz 6-4, 6-3 in 88 minutes.

The 39-year-old Djokovic showed the accumulated fatigue of nearly two weeks on court in Beijing as he took the defeat in the country’s commercial capital.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion currently holds the provisional eighth and final spot in the field due to the early season end for injured world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

But to assure himself a return to the year-end field, the veteran Serb knows he must play the Paris Indoors the first week of November,

“I’m planning only to play in Paris or, let’s see. Hopefully, I can have a good result there,” he said as he left the court in Shanghai.

“Beijing was great. A very early exit here, but it’s okay. I’ve had a great week in Beijing, and I look forward to resting a little bit and getting ready for indoor (play).”

Hurkacz, who has missed months over the past few seasons with a knee operation and recovery, becomes only  the fourth man to defeat the iconic Big 3 on their personal preferred surfaces.

He has knocked out Djokovic on hard, Rafael Nadal on clay, and Roger Federer on grass, joining fellow spoilers Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem and Alexander Zverev.

The Shanghai Masters has suffered a second box office blow with Carlos Alcaraz pulling out injured from the Asian showpiece.

Alcaraz revealed that he suffered a left ankle injury in his opening match in Tokyo just over a week ago.

The Spaniard who won the Tokyo title this week joined world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on the sidelines in China’s commercial capital.  

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev is the only member of the ranking top three to be involved in Shanghai with the race to the eight-man year-end finals next month in Turin tightening.

Sinner ended his season this week in hopes of avoiding surgery on a knee injury which has kept him off court since winning Wimbledon nearly three months ago.

The all-star pair may be paying the physical price for the ATP cash grab – extending most Masters events from the normal week to a bloated 12-13-days,

Alcaaz showed no signs of the ankle problem during his winning run in Tokyo, but apparently did not want to risk further by testing it in China.

“I’m very disappointed to announce that I won’t be able to play the Rolex Shanghai Masters this year!” Alcaraz posted on social media.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with some physical issues and, after discussing with my team, we believe the best decision is to rest and recover. 

“I was really looking forward to playing in front of the amazing fans in Shanghai again. I hope to be back soon and see my Chinese fans next year!”

The No. 3 leads the Tour with 67 match wins this season, including three titles.

Main photo:-Carlos Alcaraz playing in Shanghai in 2023.