John McEnroe through the years

McEnroe, who grew up in New York, was only an 18-year-old amateur when he entered the mixed doubles tournament at the 1977 French Open with Mary Carillo as his partner. His precocious skills were on display, as the pair ended up winning the title that year. Sure, mixed doubles isn’t the main event at any major, but it was still impressive that he won hardware at that young of an age.

The 18-year-old McEnroe wasn’t done with majors in 1977. He entered a qualifying tournament for Wimbledon, earning his spot in the big event. Just doing that was impressive. Then he managed to make it all the way to the semifinals, where he lost to Jimmy Connors. Still, it was a record for an amateur.

With that kind of talent, McEnroe could have just gone pro. Instead, he made a quick stop in college. In 1978, Mac went to Stanford, where he took the team to the NCAA title. Sure, he had teammates, but if we’re being honest, McEnroe was the driving force of that team. Case in point: He also won the NCAA singles title.

After his collegiate success, McEnroe joined the ATP, officially going pro and signing his first endorsement deal. His first year on the tour was a real success. He won five tournaments, even beating the legendary Arthur Ashe in a finals to win the Masters Grand Prix. McEnroe also made it to another Grand Slam tournament semifinal, losing once more to Jimmy Connors in the US Open.

As a native New Yorker, the US Open was kind of the perfect tournament for McEnroe. He was a local hero, and he would certainly find plenty of success at Flushing Meadows. Fittingly, McEnroe’s first Grand Slam win came at the US Open in 1979. Not only did he win it as a 20-year-old, but he also became the youngest to win a US Open singles title in history.

Tennis, especially in its early days, was a gentile sport for gentile folks. Nowhere was that more true than at Wimbledon, where matches are played on grass and the wearing of “tennis whites” is enforced like it’s still the 1800s. McEnroe was an intense competitor, and his temper would occasionally get the better of him. One of the first memorable instances of this was when Mac had some “heated” interactions with officials during his match at the 1980 Wimbledon semifinals, where he was once again taking on Connors. This did not sit well with the British crowd, who took to booing McEnroe there and at the Wimbledon finals.

Bjorn Borg and McEnroe were a perfect study in contrasts. The story was so easy to tell. Borg was cool as ice and never lost his temper. McEnroe was a raw nerve. They met in the finals at the 1980 Wimbledon tournament. The match ended up going five sets, which included McEnroe winning an 18-16 tiebreaker in the fourth set. Many people consider this the greatest match ever played, and it inspired the film “Borg vs. McEnroe,” starring Shia LaBeouf as Mac.

Wimbledon was Borg’s playing ground, as his 1980 victory in that tournament was his fifth straight. The US Open was McEnroe’s home turf, though, so he wouldn’t have to wait long to get revenge. At the 1980 US Open, McEnroe and Borg met in the finals, with McEnroe winning this time. Borg would get the last laugh, though, as McEnroe finished second in the year-end rankings right behind his Swedish counterpart.

McEnroe must have been on edge for the 1981 Wimbledon tournament, as he was at it as early as the first round. He got fined $1,500 after his first match for swearing at a ref and heckling an umpire with the weird insult of calling him the “pits of the world.” In that tournament he also repeatedly yelled the phrase, “You cannot be serious!” This would eventually become the title of his autobiography.

By the time McEnroe and Borg matched up, once again, in the Wimbledon finals, he had earned his nickname of “SuperBrat” from the British press. Bratty or not, Mac got the best of Borg that year, ending a 41-match winning streak for Borg at Wimbledon.

The rematch at Wimbledon was so nice that the two decided to do it again at the 1981 US Open. Unfortunately for Borg, he wasn’t able to pull a McEnroe and exact revenge. Mac won once again, making him the first to win three US Opens in a row since the '20s. It was also a last hurrah for Borg, who never played in another Grand Slam tournament.

Following his success in 1981, winning two majors and so on, McEnroe was able to overtake and become the top-ranked player in the world. After winning the final tournament of the year, McEnroe was able to end 1981 with that No. 1 ranking.

The British press, and crowds, may not have always loved “SuperBrat,” but McEnroe didn’t seem bothered by it. He had a particularly good time there in 1983. He once again won the singles title but took home even more hardware. McEnroe somehow managed to pull double duty and won the doubles tournament that year as well. On a side note, McEnroe played in the Australian Open for the first time in 1983, making it to the semis. It was the best he ever did down under.

Most tennis players could never dream of having a season like McEnroe had in 1984 when he posted an 82-3 record in matches. No, seriously. It’s still the highest win rate in the Open Era. McEnroe won 13 tournaments, including Wimbledon and the US Open, and made it to the French Open finals. It was a great year on the court, although not perfect…

Eventually McEnroe’s behavior was going to get the better of him. We allow a lot from elite athletes, but there are limits. At a tournament in Stockholm, a tournament he won, he had an extreme outburst that included him yelling, “Answer the question, jerk!” and slamming his racket into a juice cart. Due to a rule about accruing fines that was put into effect solely because of Mac’s behavior, he was suspended for 21 days.

McEnroe had success in 1985 but didn’t win a single Grand Slam and in fact would not win another one after 1984. Worn down by the rigors of tennis, and with nothing left to prove, Mac took a break from the game in 1986. During that time, he married actress Tatum O’Neal, and they had two children before their divorce in 1994.

McEnroe returned to the game in 1986, winning three tournaments that year but no majors, obviously. In 1987, for the first time since turning pro, he failed to win a tournament. However, he did manage to get suspended for two months and fined $17,500 for what could be called by this point “being John McEnroe.” He would take another seven-month hiatus after this.

McEnroe would return again, and he played some good, if not great, tennis for a few years. The fans got everything they could have wanted from “SuperBrat” though. He had some huge wins in Grand Slams but also got ejected from the 1990 Australian Open for swearing. In 1992, he made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semis of Wimbledon, but he would retire at the end of the year as the 20th-ranked player in the world.

Despite his volatile personality, McEnroe was apparently quite the teammate. There are some who have called McEnroe the best doubles player ever. He won nine doubles titles, including his last Grand Slam title, which was at the 1992 Wimbledon, where he teamed with Michael Stich. Impressively, as a 40-year-old, Mac and Steffi Graf teamed up for the 1999 mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon. They made it to the semis, but then Graf withdrew to focus on her singles matches at the event.

The Davis Cup, which features players representing their countries, was not big among American tennis fans before McEnroe came around, in part because Jimmy Connors never played in it. McEnroe competed in the Davis Cup with gusto, however. He helped the United States win five Davis Cup tourneys, including right before his retirement in 1992.

What do tennis stars do when they retire? Well, when they are known as much for their personality as their skills, they can show up in movies and TV. Granted, McEnroe always plays himself, but he’s appeared in shows such as “30 Rock” and movies such as, fittingly, “Wimbledon.” He’s also been in two Adam Sandler movies: “Mr. Deeds” and “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.” Weirdly, he’s not in “Anger Management.”

McEnroe has also gotten into the hosting game. In 2002, he hosted the game show “The Chair,” which was like “The Chamber” in terms of how the game was played and also in terms of being quickly canceled and forgotten. Most memorably, or infamously, he hosted the talk show “McEnroe” on CNBC. The ratings were terrible, and on two separate occasions his show had a 0.0 Nielsen rating. However you feel about McEnroe, that’s kind of funny.

Like a lot of former athletes, McEnroe does some commentary on tennis events. He’s appeared on some tournaments in the United States, much like his brother Patrick, and he’s also covered Wimbledon for BBC. Yes, the country where he was booed mercilessly during his playing career now happily listens to McEnroe call matches. Not bad for a “SuperBrat.”