John McEnroe

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John McEnroe
Country Flag of the United States United States
Residence New York City, NY
Date of birth February 16, 1959 (1959-02-16) (age 49)
Place of birth Wiesbaden, West Germany (United States Military Base)
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg)
Turned pro 1978, international debut in 1976
Retired 1992
Plays Left-handed; one-handed backhand
Career prize money US$12,547,797
Singles
Career record: 870-196 (81.61%)
Career titles: 97 including 77 listed by the ATP
Highest ranking: No. 1 (March 3, 1980)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open SF (1983)
French Open F (1984)
Wimbledon W (1981, '83, '84)
US Open W (1979, '80, '81, '84)
Doubles
Career record: 530-99 (84.26%)
Career titles: 70
Highest ranking: No. 1 (January 3, 1983)

Infobox last updated on: July 6, 2006.

John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles — three at Wimbledon and four at the U.S. Open — nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. He is remembered for his shot-making artistry and supreme volleying; for his matches against Björn Borg; for his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities; and for the catchphrase "You cannot be serious!" directed toward an umpire during a match at Wimbledon in 1981. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.

After a 12-year absence from the professional tour, McEnroe returned to top-level doubles competition in 2006 and became the oldest male player to win a top-level title in 30 years at San Jose.[1]

Contents

[edit] Playing style

A consistent serve and volleyer, McEnroe's game included hard, flat serves down the line or swinging slice serves out wide combined with angled, deft volleys, shot-making artistry, and a fast, attacking style of play. His sharp reflexes enabled him to return the biggest serves and passing shots masterfully, and the variety, delicacy, and quickness of his play delighted crowds and allowed him to defeat opponents who were physically much larger. But McEnroe also quickly became known for his competitive fire and volatile temper. Verbal outbursts seemed to be a key way in which he motivated himself to battle through tough situations during matches, yet which frequently got him into trouble.

[edit] Early success

McEnroe was born in the U.S military base at Wiesbaden, West Germany, the son of Katy and John Patrick McEnroe, Sr., an attorney[2] who at the time was stationed with the United States Air Force. He is of Irish descent.[citation needed]When he was less than a year old, his family moved to New York City. He grew up in Douglaston, Queens and learned tennis at the nearby Port Washington Tennis Academy, in Port Washington, on Long Island, NY.

McEnroe took the tennis world by storm as an 18-year-old in 1977, when he made it through the qualifying tournament into the main draw at Wimbledon, where he lost in four sets to Jimmy Connors in the semifinals. It was the best performance by a qualifier at a Grand Slam tournament and a record performance for an amateur in the open era. Shortly after, McEnroe entered Stanford University and won the NCAA singles and team titles in 1978. After that, he joined the professional tour.

McEnroe signed one of the first professional endorsement deals in tennis with Sergio Tacchini in 1978. He won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 1979 US Open. He defeated his good friend Vitas Gerulaitis in straight sets in the final to become the youngest winner of the championships since Pancho Gonzales, who was also 20, in 1948. (Pete Sampras eventually became the youngest US Open Champion at 19 years old.) McEnroe won 10 singles and 17 doubles titles that year (for a total of 27 titles, which marked an open era record).

[edit] Famous battles with Björn Borg (1980-81)

In 1980, McEnroe reached the men's singles final at Wimbledon for the first time, where he faced Björn Borg, who was gunning for his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. At the start of the final, McEnroe was booed by the crowd as he entered Centre Court following heated exchanges with officials during his semifinal victory over Jimmy Connors. But the match itself was arguably the greatest Wimbledon final ever. In a fourth-set tiebreaker that lasted 20 minutes, often simply called "that tie-breaker," McEnroe saved five match points and eventually won 18-16. McEnroe, however, could not break Borg's serve in the fifth set, which the Swede won 8–6. This match was called the best Wimbledon final by ESPN's countdown show "Who's Number One?" and "one of the three or four greatest sporting events in history" by ESPN personality Mike Greenberg.

McEnroe exacted revenge two months later, beating Borg in the five-set final of the 1980 US Open.

Controversy dogged McEnroe when he returned to Wimbledon in 1981. Following his second-round match against Tom Gullikson, McEnroe was fined U.S. $1,500 and came close to being thrown out of the championships after he called umpire Ted James "the pits of the world" and then swore at tournament referee Fred Hoyles. He also made famous the phrase "you cannot be serious," which years later would become the title of McEnroe's autobiography, by shouting it after several umpires' calls during his matches. This behavior was in sharp contrast to that of Borg, who was painted by the tabloid press as an unflappable "ice man." Nevertheless, in matches played between the two, McEnroe never lost his temper.

But despite the controversy and merciless criticism from the British press (who nicknamed him "SuperBrat"), McEnroe again made the Wimbledon men's singles final against Borg. And this time, McEnroe prevailed in four sets to end the Swede's run of 41 consecutive match victories at the All England Club. TV commentator Bud Collins quipped after the July 4th battle, paraphrasing "Yankee Doodle", "Stick a feather in his cap and call it 'McEnroe-ni'!".[3]

The controversy, however, did not end there. In response to McEnroe's on-court outbursts during the championships, the All England Club did not accord McEnroe honorary club membership, an honor normally given to singles champions after their first victory. McEnroe responded by not attending the traditional champions dinner that evening. He told the press: "I wanted to spend (the evening) with my family and friends and the people who had supported me, not a bunch of stiffs who are 70-80 years old, telling you that you're acting like a jerk." The honor was eventually accorded to McEnroe after he won the championship again.

Borg and McEnroe had their final confrontation in the final of the 1981 US Open. McEnroe won in four sets, becoming the first male player since the 1920s to win three consecutive U.S. Open singles titles. Borg never played another Grand Slam event.

[edit] Continued success (1982-85)

McEnroe lost to Jimmy Connors in the 1982 Wimbledon final. McEnroe had not lost a set going into the final; however, Connors won the fourth set tiebreak and the fifth set to win the championship.

In 1983, McEnroe reached his fourth consecutive Wimbledon final and swept aside the unheralded New Zealander Chris Lewis in straight-sets. He also played at the Australian Open for the first time, making it to the semifinals before being defeated in four sets by Mats Wilander.

At the 1984 French Open, McEnroe lost a close final match to Ivan Lendl. McEnroe was on the verge of beating Lendl after winning the first two sets. But fatigue and temperamental outbursts got the better of McEnroe, allowing Lendl to win a dramatic five-setter. The loss ended a 39-match winning streak and was the closest McEnroe ever came to winning the French Open.

In the 1984 Wimbledon final, McEnroe played a virtually flawless match to defeat Connors in just 80 minutes, 6–1, 6–1, 6–2. That was McEnroe's third and final Wimbledon singles title.

McEnroe won his fourth U.S. Open title in 1984 by defeating Lendl in straight sets in the final.

1984 was arguably McEnroe's best year on the tennis tour, as he compiled an 82-3 record and won a career-high 13 singles tournaments, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He also was on the U.S.' winning World Team Cup and runner-up Davis Cup teams. The only male who has come close to matching McEnroe's 1984 win-loss record since then was Roger Federer in 2005. Federer was 81-3 before losing his last match of the year to David Nalbandian.

McEnroe's 1984 season did not end without controversy. While playing and winning the tournament in Stockholm, McEnroe had an on-court outburst that became notorious in sports highlight reels. After questioning a call made by the chair umpire, McEnroe demanded, "Answer my question, jerk!" McEnroe then slammed his racquet into a juice cart beside the court.

In 1985, McEnroe reached his last Grand Slam singles final at the U.S. Open. This time, he was beaten in straight sets by Lendl.

[edit] Relationship with Nike

Nike co-founder Phil Knight discovered McEnroe in 1978 and tapped him for the "Rebel With a Cause" ad campaign.[4] Nike has updated the shoes McEnroe wore back then and recently released them as the new Air Zoom Mo GT Court.

[edit] Taking time out

By 1986, the pressures of playing at the top had become too much for McEnroe to handle and he took a six-month break from the tour. It was during this sabbatical that he married the actress Tatum O'Neal on 1 August 1986. They would eventually have 3 children: Kevin (born May 23, 1986), Sean (born September 23, 1987), and Emily (born May 10, 1991). When he returned to the tour later in the year, he won three titles. However McEnroe never seemed to be able to recapture his very best form again. In 1987, McEnroe failed to win a title for the first time since turning pro. He took a seven-month break from the game following the US Open, where he was suspended for two months and fined US$17,500 for misconduct and verbal abuse.

[edit] Association of Tennis Professionals World No. 1 ranking

According to the ranking system maintained by the Association of Tennis Professionals, McEnroe first became the top ranked singles player in March 1980. He was the top ranked player on 14 separate occasions between 1980 and 1985 and finished the year ranked World No. 1 four straight years from 1981 through 1984. He spent a total of 170 weeks at the top of the rankings.

[edit] Success in doubles

McEnroe was also ranked the World No. 1 in doubles for a record 257 weeks. He formed a powerful partnership with Peter Fleming, with whom he won 57 men's doubles titles including four at Wimbledon and three at the US Open. (Fleming was always very modest about his own contribution to the partnership—he once said "the best doubles partnership in the world is John McEnroe and anybody else.") McEnroe won a fourth US Open men's doubles title in 1989 with Mark Woodforde, and a fifth Wimbledon men's doubles title in 1992 with Michael Stich. He also won the 1977 French Open mixed doubles title with childhood pal Mary Carillo.

[edit] Representing his country

More than any other player in his era, McEnroe was responsible for reviving U.S. interest in the Davis Cup, which had been shunned by Jimmy Connors and other leading U.S. players. In 1978, McEnroe won two singles rubbers in the final as the U.S. captured the cup for the first time since 1972, beating the United Kingdom in the final. McEnroe continued to be a mainstay of U.S. Davis Cup teams for the next 14 years and was part of U.S. winning teams in 1979, 1981, 1982, and 1992. He set numerous U.S. Davis Cup records, including years played (12), ties (30), singles wins (41), and total wins in singles and doubles (59). He played both singles and doubles in 13 series, and he and Peter Fleming won 14 of 15 Davis Cup doubles matches together.

An epic performance was McEnroe's 6-hour, 22-minute victory over Mats Wilander in the deciding rubber of the 3–2 quarterfinal win over Sweden in 1982, played in St. Louis, Missouri. McEnroe won the match, at the time the longest in Davis Cup history, 9–7, 6–2, 15-17, 3–6, 8–6.

McEnroe nearly broke that record in a 6-hour, 20-minute loss to Boris Becker five years later. Becker won their match, the second rubber in a 3–2 loss to West Germany in World Group Relegation play, 4–6, 15-13, 8-10, 6–2, 6–2.

McEnroe also helped the U.S. win the World Team Cup in 1984 and 1985.

[edit] Final years on the tour

McEnroe struggled to regain his form after his 1986 sabbatical. He lost, for example, three times in Grand Slam tournaments to Ivan Lendl, losing straight-set quarterfinals at both the 1987 U.S. Open and the 1989 Australian Open and a long four-set match, played over two days, in the fourth round of the 1988 French Open.

Nevertheless McEnroe had several notable victories in the final years of his career.

In 1989, McEnroe won a record fifth title at the World Championship Tennis Finals (the championship tournament of the WCT tour, which was being staged for the last time), defeating top-ranked Lendl in the semifinals. At Wimbledon, he defeated Mats Wilander in a four-set quarterfinal before losing to Stefan Edberg in a semifinal. He won the RCA Championships in Indianapolis and reached the final of the Canadian Open, where he lost to Lendl. He also won both of his singles rubbers in the quarterfinal Davis Cup tie with Sweden.

Controversy was never far from McEnroe, however. In his fourth round match against Mikael Pernfors at the 1990 Australian Open, McEnroe was disqualified for swearing at the umpire, supervisor, and referee. He was warned by the umpire for intimidating a lineswoman and then docked a point for smashing a racket. McEnroe was apparently unaware that a new Code of Conduct, which had been introduced just before the tournament, meant that a third code violation would not lead to the deduction of a game but instead would result in immediate disqualification. So when McEnroe unleashed a volley of abuse at umpire Gerry Armstrong, he was defaulted.

Later that year, McEnroe reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open, losing to the eventual champion, Pete Sampras. He also won the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel, defeating Goran Ivanišević in a five-set final. The last time McEnroe was ranked in the world top ten was on October 22, 1990, when he was ranked 9th. His end-of-year singles ranking was 13th.

In 1991, McEnroe won the last edition of the Volvo Tennis-Chicago tournament by defeating his brother Patrick in the final. He won both of his singles rubbers in the quarterfinal Davis Cup tie with Spain. And he reached the fourth round at Wimbledon (losing to Edberg) and the third round at the U.S. Open (losing to Michael Chang in a five-set night match). His end-of-year singles ranking was 28th in the world.

In 1992, McEnroe defeated third-ranked Boris Becker in the third round of the Australian Open 6–4, 6–3, 7–5 before a sell-out crowd. In the fourth round, McEnroe needed 4 hours 42 minutes to defeat ninth ranked Emilio Sanchez 8–6 in the fifth set. He lost to Wayne Ferreira in the quarterfinals. At Wimbledon, McEnroe reached the semifinals where he lost in straight sets to the eventual champion Andre Agassi. McEnroe teamed with Michael Stich to win his fifth Wimbledon men’s doubles title in a record-length 5 hour 1 minute final, which the pair won 5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19-17. At the end of the year, he teamed with Sampras to win the doubles rubber in the Davis Cup final, where the U.S. defeated Switzerland 3–1.

McEnroe retired from the professional tour at the end of 1992. He ended his singles career ranked 20th in the world.

[edit] After retirement from the tour

McEnroe divorced Tatum O'Neal in 1992 and married musician Patty Smyth in April 1997. He has six children (three with O'Neal, two with Smyth, and one from Smyth's previous marriage to rock star Richard Hell). While he was originally awarded full custody of their children, they now have joint custody. He and Smyth have two daughters: Anna (born December 27, 1995) and Ava (born March 28, 1999). He has one stepdaughter, Ruby (born 1985).

McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. He now works as a sports commentator in tennis and has regularly appeared in US nationally telecast Grand Slam tennis matches for many years, as has his brother Patrick McEnroe.

John McEnroe, Madrid Masters Senior 2007
John McEnroe, Madrid Masters Senior 2007

McEnroe became the U.S. Davis Cup captain in September 1999. His team barely escaped defeat in their first two outings in 2000, beating Zimbabwe and the Czech Republic in tight 3–2 encounters. They were then defeated 5–0 by Spain in the semifinals. McEnroe resigned in November 2000 after 14 months as captain, citing frustration with the Davis Cup schedule and format as two of his primary reasons. His brother Patrick McEnroe took over the job.

Never at a loss for words, in 2002 McEnroe wrote a book (along with co-author James Kaplan) entitled You Cannot Be Serious, an autobiographical account of his life during and after tennis. It was published as Serious: The Autobiography in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the book, McEnroe shared many stories about the realities of the tennis tour, the role of corporations in professional tennis, and his off-court, drug-induced escapades.

In July 2004, McEnroe began a CNBC talk show entitled "McEnroe." The show, however, was unsuccessful, twice earning a 0.0 Nielsen rating, and was cancelled within five months. He also hosted The Chair quiz show in both the U.K. and the U.S., but this venture also was unsuccessful. In 2002, McEnroe played himself in Mr. Deeds. McEnroe played himself in the 2004 movie Wimbledon.

McEnroe is active in philanthropy and tennis development. He owns an art gallery in Manhattan.

McEnroe plays on two senior tours, the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions and the Outback Champions Series. He is a TV commentator at major tournaments. Many players and tennis experts agree that McEnroe's level of play is still high enough for him to compete on the professional level. In charity events and World Team Tennis, he has beaten many top players, including Mardy Fish and Mark Philippoussis. He defeated Andy Roddick in a doubles charity match, and was even able to volley back some of Roddick's powerful shots.

In 2007, McEnroe appeared on the NBC comedy 30 Rock as the host of a game show called "Gold Case" in which he uttered his famous line "You cannot be serious!" when a taping went awry. McEnroe also appeared on the HBO comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm.

John McEnroe, Champions Cup Boston 2007
John McEnroe, Champions Cup Boston 2007

[edit] Return to the tour

McEnroe returned to the ATP Tour in 2006 to play two doubles tournaments.

In his first tournament, he teamed with Jonas Björkman to win the title at the SAP Open in San Jose, which was McEnroe's first title since capturing the Paris Indoor doubles title in November 1992 with his brother Patrick. At age 47 years and 3 days, he was the oldest player to win a top-level title, either in singles or doubles, in thirty years.[citation needed] The win meant that McEnroe had won doubles titles in four different decades and is tied with Tom Okker for the second highest number (78) of doubles titles in history (trailing Todd Woodbridge).

In his second tournament, McEnroe and Björkman lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Stockholm.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Overview

McEnroe won a total of 155 top-level titles (a record for a male professional) during his career — 84 in singles (including 77 listed on the website maintained by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)), 70 in men's doubles, and 1 in mixed doubles. His career singles match record was 864-194 (81.66%). He won seven Grand Slam singles titles and the season-ending Masters championships three times (1978, 1983, and 1984). He won the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, the championship tournament of the WCT tour, a record five times (1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1989).

According to the ATP website, McEnroe had the edge in career matches on Jimmy Connors (20-14), Stefan Edberg (7–6), Mats Wilander (7–6), Michael Chang (4–1), Ilie Nastase (4–2), and Pat Cash (3–1). McEnroe was even with Björn Borg (7–7), Andre Agassi (2–2), and Michael Stich (1–1). He trailed against Pete Sampras (0–3), Goran Ivanišević (2–4), Boris Becker (2–8), Guillermo Vilas (5–6), Jim Courier (1–2), and Ivan Lendl (15-21). McEnroe won 12 of the last 14 matches with Connors, beginning with the 1983 Cincinnati tournament. Edberg won the last 5 matches with McEnroe, beginning with the 1989 tournament in Tokyo. McEnroe won 4 of the last 5 matches with Vilas, beginning with the 1981 tournament in Boca Raton, Florida. And Lendl won 11 of the last 12 matches with McEnroe, beginning with the 1985 U.S. Open.

McEnroe, however, played in numerous events, including invitational tournaments, that are not covered by the ATP website. McEnroe won eight of those events and had wins and losses against the players listed in the preceding paragraph that are not reflected on the ATP website.

[edit] Grand Slam finals (24)

[edit] Singles (11)

[edit] Wins (7)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1979 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 7–5, 6–3, 6–3
1980 U.S. Open (2nd) Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 7–6, 6–1, 6–7, 5–7, 6–4
1981 Wimbledon Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–4
1981 U.S. Open (3rd) Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
1983 Wimbledon (2nd) Flag of New Zealand Chris Lewis 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
1984 Wimbledon (3rd) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 6–2
1984 U.S. Open (4th) Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–4, 6–1

[edit] Runner-ups (4)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1980 Wimbledon Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7, 8–6
1982 Wimbledon (2nd) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
1984 French Open Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
1985 U.S. Open Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 6–3, 6–4

[edit] Men's doubles (12)

[edit] Wins (9)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1979 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried
Flag of Mexico Raul Ramírez
4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
1979 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–2, 6–4
1981 Wimbledon (2nd) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–4, 6–4, 6–4
1981 U.S. Open (2nd) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
N/A
1983 Wimbledon (3rd) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson
Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson
6–4, 6–3, 6–4
1983 U.S. Open (3rd) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Van Winitsky
6–3, 6–4, 6–2
1984 Wimbledon (4th) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Pat Cash
Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
6–2, 5–7, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
1989 U.S. Open (4th) Flag of Australia Mark Woodforde Flag of the United States Ken Flach
Flag of the United States Robert Seguso
6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
1992 Wimbledon (5th) Flag of Germany Michael Stich Flag of the United States Jim Grabb
Flag of the United States Richey Reneberg
5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19-17

[edit] Runner-ups (3)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1978 Wimbledon Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
6–1, 6–4, 6–2
1980 U.S. Open Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
7–6, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3
1982 Wimbledon (2nd) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
6–3, 6–2

[edit] Mixed doubles (1)

[edit] Win (1)
Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1977 French Open Flag of the United States Mary Carillo Flag of Romania Florenta Mihai
Flag of Colombia Iván Molina
7–6, 6–3

[edit] Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Australian Open A A A A A A SF A QF NH A A QF 4R A QF 0 / 5 18-5
French Open 2R A A 3R QF A QF F SF A 1R 4R A A 1R 1R 0 / 10 25-10
Wimbledon SF 1R 4R F W F W W QF A A 2R SF 1R 4R SF 3 / 14 58-11
U.S. Open 4R SF W W W SF 4R W F 1R QF 2R 2R SF 3R 4R 4 / 16 66-12
SR 0 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 2 1 / 3 2 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 4 2 / 3 0 / 4 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 7 / 45 N/A
Annual Win-Loss 9–3 5–2 9–1 15-2 18-1 11-2 18-3 20-1 18-4 0–1 4–2 5–3 10-3 8–3 5–3 12-4 N/A 167-38

NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

[edit] Grand Slam doubles tournament timeline

Tournament 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A 2R A A NH A A SF A A A
French Open A A A 2R A A A A A A A A A A A A A A QF
Wimbledon A A A A F W SF W F W W SF A A A 3R A 2R W
U.S. Open 1R 2R 1R 2R QF W F W QF W SF A A A A W 1R 3R SF

A = did not participate in the tournament
NH = tournament not held

[edit] Career finals

[edit] Singles

[edit] Wins (77)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 1978 Hartford, U.S. Carpet Flag of South Africa Johan Kriek 6–2, 6–4
2. 1978 San Francisco Carpet Flag of the United States Dick Stockton 2–6, 7–6, 6–2
3. 1978 Stockholm Hard (I) Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson 6–2, 6–2
4. 1978 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson 6–7, 6–4, 7–6, 6–2
5. 1978 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe 6–7, 6–3, 7–5
6. 1979 New Orleans, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Roscoe Tanner 6–4, 6–2
7. 1979 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Australia John Alexander 6–4, 6–3
8. 1979 San José, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming 7–6, 7–6
9. 1979 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6
10. 1979 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of Paraguay Victor Pecci Sr. 6–7, 6–1, 6–1
11. 1979 South Orange, U.S. Clay Flag of the United Kingdom John Lloyd 6–7, 6–4, 6–0
12. 1979 U.S. Open, New York City Hard Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 7–5, 6–3, 6–3
13. 1979 San Francisco Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming 4–6, 7–5, 6–2
14. 1979 Stockholm Hard Flag of the United States Gene Mayer 6–7, 6–3, 6–3
15. 1979 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Harold Solomon 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
16. 1980 Richmond WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Roscoe Tanner 6–1, 6–2
17. 1980 Memphis, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 7–6, 7–6
18. 1980 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of India Vijay Amritraj 6–1, 6–4
19. 1980 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of Australia Kim Warwick 6–3, 6–1
20. 1980 U.S. Open, New York City Hard Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 7–6, 6–1, 6–7, 5–7, 6–4
21. 1980 Brisbane, Australia Grass Flag of Australia Phil Dent 6–3, 6–4
22. 1980 Sydney Indoor Hard (I) Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–3, 6–4
23. 1980 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Gene Mayer 6–4, 6–3, 6–3
24. 1980 Montreal, Canada - WCT Challenge Cup Carpet Flag of India Vijay Amritraj 6–1, 6–2, 6–1
25. 1981 Boca Raton, U.S. - Pepsi Grand Slam Clay Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–7, 6–4, 6–0
26. 1981 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 7–6, 6–4
27. 1981 Frankfurt Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd 6–2, 6–3
28. 1981 Los Angeles Hard Flag of the United States Sandy Mayer 6–7, 6–3, 6–3
29. 1981 Dallas - WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet Flag of South Africa Johan Kriek 6–1, 6–2, 6–4
30. 1981 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried 7–6, 7–5
31. 1981 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–4
32. 1981 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Flag of New Zealand Chris Lewis 6–3, 6–4
33. 1981 U.S. Open, New York City Hard Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
34. 1981 Sydney Indoor Hard (I) Flag of the United States Roscoe Tanner 6–4, 7–5, 6–2
35. 1982 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–3, 6–1
36. 1982 San Francisco Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–3
37. 1982 Sydney Indoor Hard (I) Flag of the United States Gene Mayer 6–4, 6–1, 6–4
38. 1982 Tokyo Indoor Carpet Flag of Australia Peter McNamara 7–6, 7–5
39. 1982 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
40. 1983 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–3
41. 1983 Dallas - WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
42. 1983 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–3, 7–5
43. 1983 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of New Zealand Chris Lewis 6–2, 6–2, 6–2
44. 1983 Sydney Indoor Hard (I) Flag of France Henri Leconte 6–1, 6–4, 7–5
45. 1983 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 7–5, 6–1, 6–4
46. 1983 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–4, 6–4
47. 1984 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 7–6
48. 1984 Richmond WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Steve Denton 6–3, 7–6
49. 1984 Madrid Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd 6–0, 6–4
50. 1984 Brussels Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–1, 6–3
51. 1984 Dallas - WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–2, 6–3
52. 1984 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–2
53. 1984 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of the United States Leif Shiras 6–1, 3–6, 6–2
54. 1984 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–1, 6–2
55. 1984 Toronto Hard Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 6–0, 6–3
56. 1984 U.S. Open, New York City Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–4, 6–1
57. 1984 San Francisco Carpet Flag of the United States Brad Gilbert 6–4, 6–4
58. 1984 Stockholm Hard (I) Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander 6–2, 3–6, 6–2
59. 1984 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–5, 6–0, 6–4
60. 1985 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř 6–3, 7–6, 6–1
61. 1985 Houston, U.S. Carpet Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren 7–5, 6–1, 7–6
62. 1985 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Sweden Anders Järryd 6–4, 6–1
63. 1985 Chicago Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors W/O
64. 1985 Atlanta, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Paul Annacone 7–6, 7–6, 6–2
65. 1985 Stratton Mountain, U.S. Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 6–2
66. 1985 Montreal Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–5, 6–3
67. 1985 Stockholm Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Anders Järryd 6–1, 6–2
68. 1986 Los Angeles Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–3
69. 1986 San Francisco Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 7–6, 6–3
70. 1986 Scottsdale, U.S. Hard Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren 6–3, 3–6, 6–2
71. 1988 Tokyo Outdoor Hard Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 6–2, 6–2
72. 1988 Detroit, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Aaron Krickstein 7–5, 6–2
73. 1989 Lyon, France Carpet Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek 6–3, 7–6
74. 1989 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Brad Gilbert 6–3, 6–3, 7–6
75. 1989 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of the United States Jay Berger 6–4, 4–6, 6–4
76. 1990 Basel, Switzerland Hard (I) Flag of Yugoslavia Goran Ivanišević 6–7, 4–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
77. 1991 Chicago Carpet Flag of the United States Patrick McEnroe 3–6, 6–2, 6–4

[edit] Runner-ups (32)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. 1978 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of Australia Tony Roche 8–6, 9–7
2. 1978 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 6–4
3. 1979 Rotterdam Carpet Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–4, 6–2
4. 1979 Toronto Hard Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–3, 6–3
5. 1979 Los Angeles, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming 6–4, 6–4
6. 1980 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4
7. 1980 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2
8. 1980 Forest Hills WCT, U.S. Clay Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis 2–6, 6–2, 6–0
9. 1980 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7, 8–6
10. 1980 South Orange, U.S. Clay Flag of Argentina José Luis Clerc 6–3, 6–2
11. 1980 Stockholm Carpet Flag of Sweden Björn Borg 6–3, 6–4
12. 1981 Wembley, United Kingdom Carpet Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–2
13. 1982 Memphis, U.S. Carpet Flag of South Africa Johan Kriek 6–3, 3–6 6–4
14. 1982 Dallas WCT, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
15. 1982 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 7–5, 6–3
16. 1982 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
17. 1982 Masters, New York City Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–4, 6–4, 6–2
18. 1983 London/Queen's Club Grass Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–3
19. 1983 Cincinnati, U.S. Hard Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander 6–4, 6–4
20. 1983 San Francisco Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 3–6, 7–6, 6–4
21. 1984 French Open, Paris Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 3–6, 2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 7–5
22. 1985 Forest Hills, U.S. Clay Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–3, 6–3
23. 1985 U.S. Open, New York City Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 7–6, 6–3, 6–4
24. 1987 Philadelphia, U.S. Carpet Flag of the United States Tim Mayotte 3–6, 6–1, 6–3, 6–1
25. 1987 Rotterdam Carpet Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg 3–6, 6–3, 6–1
26. 1987 Brussels Carpet Flag of Sweden Mats Wilander 6–3, 6–4
27. 1987 Dallas - WCT Finals, U.S. Carpet Flag of Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
28. 1987 *Stratton Mountain, U.S. Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–7, 4–1 div'd - match cancelled (rain)
29. 1988 Indianapolis, U.S. Hard Flag of West Germany Boris Becker 6–4, 6–2
30. 1989 Montreal Hard Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl 6–1, 6–3
31. 1989 Toulouse, France Hard (i) Flag of the United States Jimmy Connors 6–3, 6–3
32. 1991 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek 7–6, 6–0, 6–3

[edit] Other singles titles - Draw at least 8 players (11)
Year Date Tournament Surface Prize Money Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1980 May 14-18 Kobe - Gunze Invitational Carpet Victor Amaya 6–2 6–3
1981 Jan 7-12 Rosemont - Challenge of Champions Carpet $310,000 Jimmy Connors 6–2 6–4 6–1
1981 Aug 3–9 Fréjus - Round Robin Invitational Hard Thierry Tulasne 6–2 6–3 2–6 6–4
1982 May 31-June 5 Manchester, United Kingdom - GMC Mobens Kitchens Grass Russell Simpson 6–3 6–7 10-8
1983 Nov 15-20 Antwerp - European Champions' Championship Carpet $750,000 Gene Mayer 6–4 6–3 6–4
1985 Jan 1–6 Las Vegas - AT&T Challenge of Champions Carpet $1,000,000 Guillermo Vilas 7–5 6–0
1986 Nov 5-10 Antwerp - European Community Championship Carpet $940,000 Miloslav Mecir 6–3 1–6 7–6 5–7 6–2
1987 Oct 6-11 Atlanta - AT&T Challenge of Champions Carpet $500,000 Paul Annacone 6–4 7–5
1988 Nov 1–6 Antwerp - European Community Championship Carpet $940,000 Andrei Chesnokov 6–1 7–5 6–2
1989 June 5-11 Beckenham Grass Broderick Dyke 6–4 7–6
1989 June 12-18 Edinburgh Grass Jimmy Connors 7–6 7–6

[edit] Other singles titles - draw less than 8 players (9)

Here are McEnroe's tournament titles that are not included in the statistics on the Association of Tennis Professionals website. The website has some omissions for tournaments held since 1968.

Year Date Tournament Surface Prize Money Final Opponent Final Result Winners Prize
1979 July 22-27 Fréjus - Round Robin Invitational Hard Jimmy Connors 6–4 6–3
1979 October 11-14 Perth - Super Challenge Tennis Tournament Guillermo Vilas 6–2 6–4
  • 1980: Brussels (4-men invitational)
  • 1981: Rome (4-men invitational)
  • 1982: Perth (invitational tournament)
  • 1984: Sydney Challenge, Osaka
  • 1985: Inglewood (4-men invitational)
  • 1988: Inglewood (4-men invitational)

[edit] Sources for this section
  • Michel Sutter, Vainqueurs Winners 1946-2003, Paris, 2003. Sutter has attempted to list all tournaments meeting his criteria for selection beginning with 1946 and ending in the fall of 1991. For each tournament, he has indicated the city, the date of the final, the winner, the runner-up, and the score of the final. A tournament is included in his list if: (1) the draw for the tournament included at least eight players (with a few exceptions, such as the Pepsi Grand Slam tournaments in the second half of the 1970s); and (2) the level of the tournaments was at least equal to the present day challenger tournaments. Sutter's book is probably the most exhaustive source of tennis tournament information since World War II, even though some professional tournaments held before the start of the open era are missing. Later, Sutter issued a second edition of his book, with only the players, their wins, and years for the 1946 through April 27, 2003, period.
  • John Barrett, editor, World of Tennis Yearbooks, London, from 1976 through 1993.

[edit] Doubles (92)

[edit] Wins (70)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1978 South Orange, USA Clay Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac
Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas
6–3, 6–3
2. 1978 Hartford, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Bill Maze Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
Flag of the United States Van Winitsky
6–3, 3–6, 7–5
3. 1978 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
5–7, 6–4, 6–4
4. 1978 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak Flag of the United States Bruce Manson
Flag of Rhodesia Andrew Pattison
7–6, 7–5
5. 1978 Cologne, Germany Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
6–3, 6–2
6. 1978 Bologna, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of France Jean-Louis Haillet
Flag of Italy Antonio Zugarelli
6–1, 6–4
7. 1979 World Doubles WCT, London Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Romania Ilie Năstase
Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
3–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–1
8. 1979 Richmond WCT, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried Flag of Romania Ion Ţiriac
Flag of Argentina Guillermo Vilas
6–4, 6–3
9. 1979 New Orleans, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–1, 6–3
10. 1979 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Argentina José Luis Clerc
Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
6–1, 6–3
11. 1979 Rotterdam, Netherlands Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of South Africa Bernard Mitton
6–4, 6–4
12. 1979 San José, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Hank Pfister
Flag of the United States Brad Rowe
6–3, 6–4
13. 1979 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried
Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez
4–6, 6–4, 6–2, 6–2
14. 1979 South Orange, USA Clay Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Bruce Nichols
6–1, 6–3
15. 1979 Indianapolis, USA Clay Flag of the United States Gene Mayer Flag of Czechoslovakia Jan Kodeš
Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
6–4, 7–6
16. 1979 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
6–7, 7–6, 6–1
17. 1979 U.S. Open, New York Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–2, 6–4
18. 1979 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
6–1, 6–4
19. 1979 Stockholm, Sweden Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak
Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
6–4, 6–4
20. 1979 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–2, 6–3
21. 1979 Bologna, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
6–1, 6–1
22. 1980 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried
Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez
6–3, 7–6
23. 1980 Memphis, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried Flag of Australia Rod Frawley
Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
6–3, 6–7, 7–6
24. 1980 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Rhodesia Andrew Pattison
Flag of the United States Butch Walts
6–2, 6–7, 6–2
25. 1980 Forest Hills WCT, USA Clay Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
6–2, 5–7, 6–2
26. 1980 South Orange, USA Clay Flag of the United States Bill Maze Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Van Winitsky
7–6, 6–4
27. 1980 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Gene Mayer
Flag of the United States Sandy Mayer
6–1, 6–4
28. 1980 Maui, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Victor Amaya
Flag of the United States Hank Pfister
7–6, 6–7, 6–2
29. 1980 Brisbane, Australia Grass Flag of the United States Matt Mitchell Flag of Australia Phil Dent
Flag of Australia Rod Frawley
8–6
30. 1980 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson
Flag of South Africa Johan Kriek
4–6, 6–1, 6–2
31. 1980 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Bill Scanlon
Flag of the United States Eliot Teltscher
7–5, 6–3
32. 1981 Las Vegas, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Tracy Delatte
Flag of the United States Trey Waltke
6–3, 7–6
33. 1981 Forest Hills WCT, USA Clay Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia John Fitzgerald
Flag of the United States Andy Kohlberg
6–4, 6–4
34. 1981 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–4, 6–4, 6–4
35. 1981 Cincinnati, USA Hard Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
7–6, 6–3
36. 1981 U.S. Open, New York Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
DEF
37. 1981 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
7–6, 6–4
38. 1981 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
6–7, 7–6, 6–1
39. 1982 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
7–6, 6–4
40. 1982 London/Queen's Club, England Grass Flag of the United States Peter Rennert Flag of the United States Victor Amaya
Flag of the United States Hank Pfister
7–6, 7–5
41. 1982 Cincinnati, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Steve Denton
Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
6–2, 6–3
42. 1982 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Rennert Flag of the United States Steve Denton
Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
6–3, 7–6
43. 1982 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
7–6, 6–4
44. 1983 Los Angeles, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Sandy Mayer
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
6–1, 6–2
45. 1983 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson
Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson
6–4, 6–3, 6–4
46. 1983 U.S. Open, New York Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Van Winitsky
6–3, 6–4, 6–2
47. 1983 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl
Flag of the United States Vincent Van Patten
6–1, 6–2
48. 1983 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Steve Denton
Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
6–3, 6–4
49. 1984 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of France Henri Leconte
Flag of France Yannick Noah
6–2, 6–3
50. 1984 Richmond WCT, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Patrick McEnroe Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren
Flag of the United States Steve Denton
7–6, 6–2
51. 1984 Madrid, Spain Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Fritz Buehning
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
6–3, 6–3
52. 1984 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Pat Cash
Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
6–2, 5–7, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
53. 1984 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia John Fitzgerald
Flag of Australia Kim Warwick
6–4, 6–2
54. 1984 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Mike De Palmer
Flag of the United States Sammy Giammalva Jr.
6–3, 6–4
55. 1984 Masters, New York Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil
Flag of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd
6–2, 6–2
56. 1985 Houston, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Hank Pfister
Flag of the United States Ben Testerman
6–3, 6–2
57. 1985 Dallas, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
6–3, 6–1
58. 1986 Stratton Mountain, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Paul Annacone
Flag of South Africa Christo Van Rensburg
6–3, 3–6, 6–3
59. 1986 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Mike De Palmer
Flag of the United States Gary Donnelly
6–4, 7–6
60. 1986 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Iran Mansour Bahrami
Flag of Uruguay Diego Perez
6–3, 6–2
61. 1986 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
Flag of Australia Kim Warwick
3–6, 7–6, 6–2
62. 1988 Los Angeles, USA Hard Flag of Australia Mark Woodforde Flag of Australia Peter Doohan
Flag of the United States Jim Grabb
6–4, 6–4
63. 1988 San Francisco, USA Carpet Flag of Australia Mark Woodforde Flag of the United States Scott Davis
Flag of the United States Tim Pawsat
6–4, 7–6
64. 1989 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek Flag of Switzerland Heinz Günthardt
Flag of Hungary Balázs Taróczy
6–3, 6–4
65. 1989 U.S. Open, New York Hard Flag of Australia Mark Woodforde Flag of the United States Ken Flach
Flag of the United States Robert Seguso
6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
66. 1989 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek Flag of the United Kingdom Jeremy Bates
Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren
6–1, 7–6
67. 1992 Brussels, Belgium Carpet Flag of Germany Boris Becker Flag of France Guy Forget
Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
6–3, 6–2
68. 1992 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of Germany Michael Stich Flag of the United States Jim Grabb
Flag of the United States Richey Reneberg
5–7, 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 19-17
69. 1992 Paris Indoor, France Carpet Flag of the United States Patrick McEnroe Flag of the United States Patrick Galbraith
Flag of South Africa Danie Visser
6–4, 6–2
70. 2006 San José, USA Hard (i) Flag of Sweden Jonas Björkman Flag of the United States Paul Goldstein
Flag of the United States Jim Thomas
7–6, 4–6, 10-7 (MTB)

[edit] Runner-ups (22)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partnering Opponent in the final Score
1. 1978 Washington Indoor, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Arthur Ashe Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
6–7, 7–5, 6–1
2. 1978 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of South Africa Bob Hewitt
Flag of South Africa Frew McMillan
6–1, 6–4, 6–2
3. 1978 Maui, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson
Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson
7–6, 7–6
4. 1979 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Poland Wojtek Fibak
Flag of the Netherlands Tom Okker
5–7, 6–1, 6–3
5. 1980 Monte Carlo, Monaco Clay Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis Flag of Italy Paolo Bertolucci
Flag of Italy Adriano Panatta
6–2, 5–7, 6–3
6. 1980 U.S. Open, New York Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Robert Lutz
Flag of the United States Stan Smith
7–6, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3
7. 1981 Milan, Italy Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Rennert Flag of the United States Brian Gottfried
Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez
7–6, 6–3
8. 1981 Frankfurt, Germany Carpet Flag of the United States Vitas Gerulaitis Flag of the United States Brian Teacher
Flag of the United States Butch Walts
7–5, 6–7, 7–5
9. 1981 Los Angeles, USA Hard Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson
Flag of the United States Butch Walts
6–4, 6–4
10. 1981 Montreal, Canada Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Mexico Raúl Ramírez
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
2–6, 7–6, 6–4
11. 1981 Wembley, England Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
Flag of the United States Ferdi Taygan
7–5, 6–7, 6–4
12. 1982 Memphis, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren
Flag of the United States Steve Denton
7–6, 4–6, 6–2
13. 1982 Wimbledon, London Grass Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Australia Paul McNamee
Flag of Australia Peter McNamara
6–3, 6–2
14. 1982 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of the United States Steve Denton
Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
6–7, 7–5, 6–2
15. 1982 Tokyo Indoor, Japan Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Rennert Flag of the United States Tim Gullikson
Flag of the United States Tom Gullikson
6–4, 3–6, 7–6
16. 1983 Philadelphia, USA Carpet Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of South Africa Kevin Curren
Flag of the United States Steve Denton
6–4, 7–6
17. 1983 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) Flag of the United States Peter Rennert Flag of Australia Mark Edmondson
Flag of the United States Sherwood Stewart
6–2, 6–4
18. 1986 Los Angeles, USA Hard Flag of the United States Peter Fleming Flag of Sweden Stefan Edberg
Flag of Sweden Anders Järryd
3–6, 7–5, 7–6
19. 1989 Lyon, France Carpet Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek Flag of West Germany Eric Jelen
Flag of Denmark Michael Mortensen
6–2, 3–6, 6–3
20. 1991 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Flag of Czechoslovakia Petr Korda Flag of Switzerland Jakob Hlasek
Flag of the United States Patrick McEnroe
3–6, 7–6, 7–6
21. 1992 Rosmalen, Netherlands Grass Flag of Germany Michael Stich Flag of the United States Jim Grabb
Flag of the United States Richey Reneberg
6–4, 6–7, 6–4
22. 1992 Toronto, Canada Hard Flag of the United States Andre Agassi Flag of the United States Patrick Galbraith
Flag of South Africa Danie Visser
6–4, 6–4

[edit] Senior tour titles

[edit] Pop-culture appearances

  • McEnroe's fiery temper has got him featured in fields other than tennis on more than one occasion. In 1982, on the tail of his final victory against Borg, British impressionist Roger Kitter made a record called Chalk Dust: The Umpire Strikes Back in which he played a parody of McEnroe losing his temper with an umpire during a match. The record was made under the nomenclature "The Brat" and reached the UK Top 20; by this time the British tabloids had dubbed him "SuperBrat".
  • He is also imitated and referenced on Dionysos' album Western sous la neige which features multiple tracks that talk about writing in the blood of bad referees.
  • His random bursts of rage were also parodied in the satirical British programme 'Spitting Image', where he and wife Tatum frequently screamed and threw things at each other.
  • At the height of his career, NBC-TV's tennis coverage included a piece with clips of his many on-court tantrums, underscored by the Men at Work hit song, Be Good Johnny.
  • McEnroe has also been given roles in TV and film where he playfully acknowledges his well-known belligerence such as in his appearance in a 2005 car commercial for the SEAT Altea where he angrily shouts his trademark "Clearly inside the line" line at an officer who has ticketed him for parking incorrectly. He also portrays himself in the 2002 film Mr. Deeds where he lauds the title character for getting angry and assaulting an antagonist, and has a scene in the film Anger Management starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, most of which was cut - leaving only a short shot of him sleeping on the floor of the psychiatrist's office. The full scene is in the DVD special features.
  • In the Not the Nine O'Clock News, McEnroe is parodied by Griff Rhys Jones with considerable emphasis being placed on his lack of patience, his temper tantrums and his inability to understand that he does anything wrong or any decision that is not in his favour.
  • McEnroe also has appeared in Nike's recent tennis commercials with his brother Patrick and tennis star Maria Sharapova. He appeared in another commercial where he taught Pete Sampras how to throw temper tantrums on the court.
  • On May 10, 2007, McEnroe appeared as a murder suspect on an episode of the American CBS television show CSI: NY, uttering a variation of his famous "You cannot be serious!" line.[5]
  • According to the DVD movie interview, Tom Hulce studied McEnroe's mood swings for his portrayal of Mozart's unpredictable genius in Amadeus. Also, Ian McKellen once took some lessons from his behaviour on court for his interpretation of the megalomaniacal Coriolanus at Stratford.
  • He appeared on a British advertisement for Tesco, along with Björn Borg, his famous rival, where they compete to collect supermarket items, and Borg eventually finishes with a plate, a play on the trophy of Wimbledon.
  • Also in 2007 McEnroe appeared in an Australian television commercial for Telstra's NextG network in which he becomes angered over his phone not working in an elevator and throws it to the floor, breaking it. He is then mistaken for Australian tennis player Pat Cash.[7]
  • McEnroe appeared as himself in Curb your Enthusiasm Season 6 Episode 5 in which Larry adopts the role of his limo driver for the day.
  • Punk band End of a Year reference his famous temper in the song "McEnroe"

*McEnroe is also an avid supporter of the New York Mets baseball team

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Further reading

  • Adams, Tim (2005). On Being John McEnroe. [New York]: Crown. ISBN 1-4000-8147-5. 
  • Kaplan, James; McEnroe, John (2002). You Cannot Be Serious. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-14858-2. 
  • Evans, Richard I. (1990). McEnroe, Taming the Talent. [Lexington, MA]: S. Greene. ISBN 0-8289-0791-9. 
  • Evans, Richard; written in cooperation with John McEnroe (1984). McEnroe: A Rage for Perfection: A Biography. New York: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 0450055868. 
  • Long, Cathy; Scanlong, Bill; Long, Sonny (2004). Bad News for McEnroe : Blood, Sweat, and Backhands with John, Jimmy, Ilie, Ivan, Bjorn, and Vitas. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-33280-7. 

[edit] Video

  • The Wimbledon Collection - Legends of Wimbledon - John McEnroe Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004, Run Time: 52 minutes, ASIN: B0002HOD9U
  • The Wimbledon Collection - The Classic Match - Borg vs. McEnroe 1981 Final Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004, Run Time: 210 minutes, ASIN: B0002HODAE
  • The Wimbledon Collection - The Classic Match - Borg vs. McEnroe 1980 Final Standing Room Only, DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004, Run Time: 240 minutes; ASIN: B0002HOEK8
  • Charlie Rose with John McEnroe (February 4, 1999) Charlie Rose, DVD Release Date: September 18, 2006, ASIN: B000IU3342

[edit] External links

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Sporting positions
Preceded by
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
World No. 1
March 3, 1980 - March 23, 1980
August 11, 1980 - August 17, 1980
July 6, 1981 - July 19, 1981
August 3, 1981 - September 12, 1982
November 1, 1982 - November 7, 1982
November 15, 1982 - January 30, 1983
February 7, 1983 - February 13, 1983
June 6, 1983 - June 12, 1983
July 4, 1983 - October 30, 1983
December 12, 1983 - January 8, 1984
March 12, 1984 - June 10, 1984
June 18, 1984 - July 8, 1984
August 13, 1984 - August 18, 1985
August 26, 1985 - September 8, 1985
Succeeded by
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Björn Borg
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Jimmy Connors
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Preceded by
Björn Borg
ITF World Champion
1981
Succeeded by
Jimmy Connors
Preceded by
Jimmy Connors
ITF World Champion
1983-1984
Succeeded by
Ivan Lendl
Awards
Preceded by
U.S. Olympic hockey team
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
1981
Succeeded by
Wayne Gretzky
Preceded by
Alan Hansen
RTS Television Sport Awards
Best Sports Pundit

2001
Succeeded by
Simon Hughes