Born on 16th February, 1959, in Germany, John McEnroe went on to become one of the most high-profile tennis player in the history. Throughout his career, he won 17 Grand Slam titles, 77 career single titles, and 77 doubles titles. He was raised in Queens, New York, where the family re-located. From an early age he exhibited unusual athletic ability and eye-hand coordination.
He displayed qualities of a tennis prodigy though he enthusiastically played other sports. However it was soon obvious that he had a natural ability when it came to tennis. McEnroe was coached at the Port Washington Tennis Academy by a former Davis Cup player for Mexico, Tony Palafox and Harry Hopman, a former Australian Davis Cup coach.
A series of important events took place in the career of John McEnroe in 1977, after he graduated from high school. He went on to win the French Juniors Tournament. He became the youngest player to reach the Wimbledon when he advanced to the semi-finals, but was eventually beaten by Jimmy Connors. He won the reputation of tennis’ “bad boys” due to his emotional and disturbing outbursts. They were directed at opponents, himself, and linesmen. He is known for his aggression and intense rivalry with Bjorn Borg.
John McEnroe decided to turn pro in 1978 summer. He was ousted in the first round at Wimbledon but he managed to reach the semi-finals of the U.S. Open. He was ranked No. 6 and 5 in singles and doubles respectively at the end of the year. McEnroe began his long commitment to Davis Cup during this time when the then Davis Cup coach, Tony Trabert allowed him to play. Young McEnroe handled the pressure well, winning his matches against England to help clinch the first U.S. Davis Cup victory in six years. McEnroe won four singles championships, in the next four months, which included victory over Bjorn Borg in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1978, ATP awarded him the Newcomer of the Year Award and he was ranked World No. 4, behind Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and Vilas.
John McEnroe began his career decline in 1985 after a winning streak that included seven Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles. He was No. 1 in ATP rankings from 1981-1984. Several reasons were responsible for this, like his negligence towards his training and secondly, his tantrums.
John McEnroe is now network television commentator for both CBS and NBC at Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open. He competes in a special events and number of tournaments for charity. He is associated the Arthur Ashe foundation for the defeat of AIDS and several charities which target children’s causes. In 1999, John McEnroe was named captain of the Davis Cup team and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
Tennis was never the most important aspect of life for McEnroe. He enjoyed a wide range of other activities. He is a guitar player and occasionally plays at charity events. He opened the John McEnroe Art Gallery in New York City which features new young artists. John McEnroe started his talk show on CNBC in 2004 however the show was canceled six months later due to lack of viewership.