John McEnroe
John McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles, four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon, and spent 170 weeks as world No. 1. He also won 77 singles titles and 77 doubles titles, a symmetry no other player of his standing can claim.
His 1984 season, in which he went 82-3, is still regarded as the best single year any man has produced. The rivalry with Björn Borg gave tennis its most famous match, the 1980 Wimbledon final, and it is the reason both men are still household names four decades later.
Player Profile
| Full name | John Patrick McEnroe Jr. |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 February 1959 |
| Birthplace | Wiesbaden, West Germany |
| Nationality | American |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Turned pro | 1978 |
| Grand Slam singles titles | 7 |
| Career singles titles | 77 |
| Career doubles titles | 77 |
| Weeks at No. 1 | 170 |
Career Form & Notable Results
| Wimbledon 1984 | Championbeat Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the final during an 82-3 season |
|---|---|
| US Open 1984 | Championthe last of his four US Open titles |
| Wimbledon 1981 | Championended Björn Borg's five-year reign at the All England Club |
| US Open 1979 | Championhis first Grand Slam title, at 20 |
| Wimbledon 1980 | Runner-upthe 18-16 fourth-set tiebreak against Borg, widely called the greatest match ever played |
Playing Style & Strengths
McEnroe served and volleyed with a technique nobody has successfully copied. The service motion turned almost entirely away from the opponent before uncoiling, which disguised direction and bought him time to reach the net, and the touch once he arrived was better than anyone of his era.
He was a left-hander who won on feel rather than power in a period that was starting to reward the opposite, and the doubles record is the giveaway: 77 titles there is not an accident of scheduling but evidence of the best pair of hands in the game. The volatility was real and it cost him matches, but it has been allowed to overshadow how precise the tennis actually was.