In the mid-70s, tennis was exciting and gaining popularity globally through the efforts of players such as Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John Newcombe. However, the tennis establishment received an enormous jolt of energy in 1977 with the arrival of a young, bushy-haired, and incredibly talented player named John Patrick McEnroe!
McEnroe was an unbelievable talent who, as an amateur in 1977, won the French Open Mixed Doubles title with Mary Carillo. Tennis on TV during the 70s was limited at best and often tape-delayed so I wasn’t aware or fortunate enough to see any of that match. However, Wimbledon was a different story due to its rich heritage, it was always a special event in the summer and it would be my first introduction to what would become one of my most favorite players.
Similar to Rod Laver, McEnroe was left-handed whose play around the net was nothing short of magical. He seemed to have a sixth-sense for serve and volley play. Tennis at the time was still considered an affluent sport with an air of stodginess and Wimbledon was no exception. To say McEnroe’s arrival was disruptive would be a massive understatement. Bjorn Borg was cool and calm on the outside with an internal fire whereas McEnroe was an inferno inside and out. As an 18-year-old amateur and qualifier, he would make a historic run to the semifinals before falling to Jimmy Connors in four sets. The battles to come between him and Borg still stand as the greatest matches ever played.
I was very young but witnessing his brand of tennis would forever change my view of the game. As a short kid who was a target for knuckleheads, I was already a little “punchy” and willing to go nuclear to prove I was as tough as they come. Tennis, at least to me, was a sport where you could level the playing field regardless of inconsequently factors like an individual’s height, race, background, wealth, creed, status, and so on. It’s a sport where if you can play, you can play. I would bring that same punchy determination and resolve to my game. Seeing this in McEnroe, I thought this is the way I needed to play. I loved his energy and passion and wanted to replicate it in my own game. However, I quickly learned that only a few players can take that rage inside and turn it into something positive. I wasn’t one of those players and while it took me a few years, I learned to appreciate his brand of tennis but had to pivot to a style that better suited my mindset.
To this day, I remain a huge fan of John McEnroe. He took the same passion for the game as a player to the broadcast booth and is easily the best announcer in all of sports. God never granted me the gift of being left-handed or hands like pillows that can shape the ball necessary for a true serve and volley game similar to my favorite players in Rod Laver and John McEnroe. On the other hand, I was instilled with an unparraled love for the sport. I fondly recall those epic matches between McEnroe and Borg, rewatching a few of them every year. There are so many things and players that contributed to my love for the game but none was perhaps a great as the inferno that is John McEnroe.
9 of 50 - 1977