One of the strongest personalities the world of sports has ever seen was the stubborn brilliance of John McEnroe. John McEnroe electrified the tennis world with his deft touch and fiery outbursts. The sport of tennis would never be the same after John McEnroe burst onto the scene.
Let’s take a closer look at his career and highlight why he would be a top favorite at the top-rated sportsbooks today.
John McEnroe’s greatness is somewhat diminished in today’s time because of the tennis world’s lack of respect for the sport of doubles. In McEnroe’s time, doubles was almost as important as singles, whereas today it is relegated as an afterthought. We must keep this in mind when we look at McEnroe’s accomplishments.
Legacy Milestones
- John McEnroe is the only player in ATP history to simultaneously be the number one in the world in both singles and doubles. In today’s world of tennis, where doubles is not respected like it once was, it is safe to say that this record will never be challenged.
- He won 77 singles titles and 77 doubles titles. This makes him the only men’s player to ever win more than 70 titles in singles and doubles.
- 7 of John McEnroe’s 77 singles titles were won at major events. John McEnroe won the US Open four times and Wimbledon three times. He won nine major doubles titles, five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open. His one Grand Slam mixed doubles title was won at the French Open.
- In 1984, John McEnroe achieved the best single-season win rate of the Open Era. During that season, his record was 82-3.
The Beginnings
John McEnroe attended Stanford University and in 1978 he won the NCAA singles title and led the Stanford team to the NCAA Championship. After turning pro, he was able to make the semifinals of the US Open where he fell to Jimmy Connors. This was the beginning of an elite rivalry between McEnroe and Connors.
In 1979, John McEnroe and Peter Fleming won the doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open. He also won his first singles title that season when he won the US Open. McEnroe established himself as an elite professional tennis player, one to be reckoned with. In the 1979 season, McEnroe won 10 singles titles and 17 doubles titles for a total of 27 men’s titles, which is an Open Era record. McEnroe finished this season at number 3 in the singles rankings.
In 1980, John McEnroe made the final of Wimbledon where he met Bjorn Borg. At this time, Borg had won Wimbledon four seasons in a row. McEnroe advanced to the final by defeating his American rival, Jimmy Connors, although his antics had earned him the ire of the British crowd. The crowd firmly supported Bjorn Borg, but McEnroe still brought his best level of tennis.
In what is considered by many to be the greatest match in tennis history, John McEnroe saved five Championship points in a 4th set tiebreak that ended up 18-16. In the end, Borg was triumphant in the 5th set and won his fifth straight Wimbledon title. However, the level of play in this match vaulted McEnroe and Borg into a historic echelon of the sport.
Time for Revenge
John McEnroe was able to get revenge when he defeated Bjorn Borg at the US Open for the 1980 championship. He finished the season with a number two singles ranking behind Borg.
In 1981, McEnroe’s bad behavior once again made headlines. McEnroe was almost kicked out of Wimbledon for his continuous outbursts at the referees and umpires. The British press responded by nicknaming McEnroe the “Superbrat”.
However, McEnroe got the last laugh when he was finally able to dethrone Bjorn Borg in the Wimbledon final that year. The All England Club was disgusted by McEnroe’s behavior and refused to give him the honorary club membership, which is usually given to champions. McEnroe responded by not attending the Champions dinner.
McEnroe defeated Borg in their final match in the final of the 1981 US Open. He became the first player in the Open Era to win three consecutive US Open titles.
New Heights
McEnroe had a new rival now, Jimmy Connors.
Going into the final of Wimbledon in 1982, McEnroe only lost one set the whole season. However, Connors was able to get the win over John McEnroe, making the rivalry more intense. McEnroe also lost the US Open that year but he was still able to finish as year-end singles number one due to the strength of his results earlier.
McEnroe followed that up by winning Wimbledon in 1983. However, he was unable to defend his US Open crown and fell in the fourth round that season. This was also the first season that he played the Australian Open and he made the semifinals. Because he won the year-end Masters Grand Prix, he finished the season number one in singles.
1984 was McEnroe’s best year as a professional and the height of his playing career. This season he finished 82-3 and won 13 titles. He won the Wimbledon and US Open championships once again and was the year end number one. During the season, he had a 42 match win streak and he was also able to make the French Open final. However, McEnroe never won the French Open and in this season he fell to Ivan Lendl in the final in 5 sets.
New Lows
Bad behavior during the Stockholm Open led McEnroe to be suspended for 3 weeks.
1985 would not be a successful year for McEnroe. He lost in the semifinals of the French Open, the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and it was the last time he would ever make the final of the US Open. He lost in the final to Ivan Lendl once again.
McEnroe took time off from the sport in 1986 to marry actress Tatum O’Neal. He returned to the ATP Tour later in the summer and won three ATP titles. However, he could not build on that success and failed to win a tournament for the first time in his career in 1987. He then took another break from the game and was never able to reclaim the form that made him the top player of the early 1980s in singles.
McEnroe was still a top player in doubles, however, and was able to win the US Open men’s double titles in 1989 and won a Wimbledon men’s doubles title in 1992.
Time To Leave
McEnroe retired from the professional tour in 1992. McEnroe became an announcer for ESPN and still works major tournaments today.
John McEnroe is one of the most exciting players the tennis world has ever seen. No one has had his touch at the net. This was accentuated by the fact that they played with wooden rackets, which made change of pace a much more effective strategy than it is today. John McEnroe delighted the world with his brilliant play and outrageous antics throughout his career. The sport of tennis was never the same after the career of John McEnroe.
