“Unbelievably nice people,” John McEnroe contrasts his on-court personality with the likes of Rafael Nadal
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe
John McEnroe is a former world number 1 and 7-time Grand Slam Champion. He is among the greatest tennis players of all time. He has won 77 singles titles and 78 titles in Doubles. He also has 9 Grand Slams in doubles. McEnroe was quite famous as the bad boy of the game during his career, being part of numerous on-court confrontations, racquet abuse, and trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.
His exuberant life and illustrious career have been captured beautifully in a new documentary titled, “McEnroe”, directed by Barney Douglas. In the documentary, the tennis great reflects on his tumultuous career and personal life alongside film archives from some of the biggest matches in tennis history — including the US Open and Wimbledon — as well as home video footage from McEnroe himself. There are contributions from McEnroe’s children and his wife Patty Smyth and the film also features icons including Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, and Keith Richards.
“Rafael Nadal has claimed he’s never broken a racket in his life” John McEnroe reflects on his on-court antics and compares them with Nadal
John McEnroe has been synonymous with the bad boy for most of his life. A result of his upbringing, competitiveness, and rebellious streak, he has been involved in numerous on-court confrontations, racquet abuse, and trouble with umpires and tennis authorities throughout his career, some of which are fondly remembered even today.
In an interview for his latest documentary, “McEnroe“, the 7-time major champ accepts, that he exacerbated the situation. “You sort of feed into this villain thing, maybe unbeknown to yourself, and then it becomes this out-of-control monster. People started to recognize me—‘Are you that brat guy?’—and it completely changed my life. I was, like, ‘They don’t understand me, I’m a nice guy.’ But of course, I wasn’t real nice on the court at times.” He goes on to say, “You have to come at your opponents with an intensity that radiates off your body.”
He contrasts that with today’s top players, many of whom “seem like unbelievably nice people. Rafael Nadal has claimed he’s never broken a racket in his life.” Yet Nadal and Roger Federer are not representative,” he thinks. “Generally, I think people are, as far as tennis goes, more like me and Connors than Borg, who never showed any expression. It’s a very frustrating game that it’s hard not to get emotional about. I’d be, like, ‘I’m gonna go practise and be like Borg for two hours,’ and that would last, like, five minutes. It just wasn’t in my DNA.”
Do follow us on: Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
FS Desk
(8023 Articles Published)