Easily one of the most volatile players ever to grace the sport of tennis, and well known for his signature line, “you cannot be serious,” John McEnroe is forever etched into the minds of tennis fans throughout the world. His hot temper, raw natural talent and his penchant for disagreeing with the referees got him into trouble more than once, but he remains one of the best players the game has ever seen.
He was born in 1959 and got into tennis early in life. His early education in the sport paid off, and over the course of his career he landed eight grand slam titles. All told, McEnroe won 155 titles a feat that few players have been able to achieve. Considered to be one of the most talented, if not one of the loudest players in history, McEnroe inspired thousands of people to take up the sport and many have gone onto greatness since then.
His rivalries with other players in the 1980’s were a journalist’s dream, particularly the one with Bjorn Borg that played out over the course of many years. He also got into numerous verbal altercations Jimmy Connors and countless refs throughout his career. Never afraid to say what he thought, McEnroe channeled this into writing a book, which was an instant success on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Often the subject of parodies on comedy shows, McEnroe has also appeared in many different commercials. One of the most remembered was for Nike, where he took fellow tennis star Pete Sampras out on the court and showed him how to throw a tantrum.
What is he doing now? In 2006, McEnroe became one of the oldest players to return to the sport when he left retirement to play and win in competition. He is still active in the sport and plays in competitive games as well as exhibition matches.
His high profile marriage to Tatum O’Neill and their resulting breakup was the subject of many controversial books and it is clear that even in semi-retirement, McEnroe continues to be a pop culture icon, for better or for worse.
Championships:
Singles
Year Championship
1979 US Open
1980 US Open (2nd)
1981 Wimbledon
1981 US Open (3rd)
1983 Wimbledon (2nd)
1984 Wimbledon (3rd)
1984 US Open (4th)
Doubles
Year Championship
1979 Wimbledon
1979 US Open
1981 Wimbledon (2nd)
1981 US Open (2nd)
1983 Wimbledon (3rd)
1983 US Open (3rd)
1984 Wimbledon (4th)
1989 US Open (4th)
1992 Wimbledon (5th)
Interesting and Inspirational Quotes:
“What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.”
Everybody loves success, but they hate successful people”
“You cannot be serious!”
“The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose. Life is a learning process and you have to try to learn what's best for you. Let me tell you, life is not fun when you're banging your head against a brick wall all the time.”
Originally posted 2008-10-20 05:32:12. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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