John McEnroe

John McEnroe

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is a former professional American tennis player. He won 77 singles and 78 doubles titles, the highest men’s combined total of the Open Era. His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single season win rate of the open era. He contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later was team captain.

About John McEnroe in brief

Summary John McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe Jr. is a former professional American tennis player. He won 77 singles and 78 doubles titles, the highest men’s combined total of the Open Era. He was known for his shot-making artistry and volleying skills, and for confrontational on-court behavior that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single season win rate of the open era. He has stayed active in retirement, often competing in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour. His father, the son of Irish immigrants, was at the time stationed with the United States Air Force. His brother, Mark, is also a professional tennis player and has two younger brothers: Mark and former pro tennis player Patrick. He was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, and grew up in Douglaston, Queens, New York City. He started playing tennis when he was eight, at the nearby Douglaston Club. He then began competing in national juniors tournaments, and at twelve, he joined the Port Washington Tennis Academy, Long Island, NewYork. He also won the mixed doubles at the French Open with Mary Carillo, and then made it through the qualifying tournament at Wimbledon and into the main draw, where he lost in the semifinals to Jimmy Connors in four sets. As an 18-year-old amateur in 1977, he won five titles, including his first Masters Grand Prix, beating Arthur Ashe in straight sets, as well as Grand Prix events at Stockholm and Wembley.

In 1979, he and partner Peter Fleming won the men’s Wimbledon Doubles title, his first Grand Slam singles title, and became the youngest male winner of the singles title at the US Open since Pancho Gonzales in 1948. At Wimbledon, he defeated his friend Geras Gerasulaitis in the final to become the youngest Male Winner of the Men’s Singles final since Björn Borg, who also won 20 in 1948, beating Bjorn Borg in 4 sets. At the same week, he also won his first men’s doubles title, with Peter Fleming, followed by a win in the USopen Doubles tournament the following week. He contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later was team captain. In 1978, he led the Stanford team to an NCAA championship, and also won the NCAA singles title. In 1981, he was named the ATP Player of the Year and the ITF World Champion three times each: 1981, 1983 and 1984. In 1983, he finished as the number four ranked player for the year. In 1984 he won eight singles and seven doubles titles at the year-end tournaments, both of which are records. In 1985 he won 10 singles and 17 doubles titles that year, finishing at number 3 in the ATP-end rankings. In 1986 he won the prestigious season-ending WCT Finals in London.