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© Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum |
John McEnroe has won the Wimbledon singles crown three
times, an impressive effort that puts him near the top of
the honours board as one of The Championships' most successful
men's players.
But what places him above them all is what he brought to
Centre Court: charisma, talent, attitude and purity of shot
that made him unforgettable.
His behaviour was often far from exemplary, often inexcusable.
He pushed the envelope, as his fellow Americans are wont
to say. McEnroe has even admitted that a default or two
early in his fiery years at The Championships might have
helped him; taught him more about self control and less
about raging. Umpires and referees also would have preferred
a more tranquil McEnroe.
But there is an animal inside most top sportsmen and women.
Many keep it on a tight rein. The ones who attract attention
loosen their grip. McEnroe let the animal escape and even
booted it up the backside to rile it further. Part of his
appeal among tennis fans is still wrapped in letting the
animal run wild.
Another attraction was, of course, the style of his game.
It was sublime. His delicacy, born of flexible hand and
quick brain, amazed crowds and opponents alike and the variety
of his play was different from the many one-trick power-players
of today.
McEnroe’s hawk vision and sharp reflexes enabled
him to return the biggest servers early and place the ball
in either corner or down the middle.
He performed in arguably the most famous Wimbledon Final,
in 1980 against Borg, winning a titanic 20-minute, fourth-set
tie-break, before losing the fifth 8-6. Then he returned
12 months later to defeat the Swede and claim his first
Wimbledon title.
Rivalries are a key part of sport and McEnroe versus Borg
was probably the greatest one in tennis history. Fire and
ice.
Sport is a spectacle and it always was with McEnroe the
player. He displayed the stresses and strains his supporters
were feeling. His heart was always on his sleeve.
His achievements have resonated through the decades and
his erudite, often amusing, cut-to-the-chase commentaries
of today prove his aura is as strong as ever. He might be
seen as a mass of contradictions: his love of Wimbledon,
Davis Cup and tennis tradition against his rebel image and
fondness for rock music.
But most people, even if they are not tennis fans, have
heard of John Patrick McEnroe. You can't say that about
a lot of sports personalities.
Written by Mike Donovan
JOHN McENROE
Singles Champion: 1981, 1983, 1984
Singles Runner-up: 1980, 1982
Doubles Champion:1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1992
Doubles Runner-up: 1978, 1982