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John McEnroe Quotes

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. is a retired American tennis player, often considered among the greatest in the history of the sport. He was known for his shot-making artistry and volleying skills, as well as his confrontational on-court behavior that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

McEnroe attained the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles, finishing his career with 77 singles and 78 doubles titles; this remains the highest men's combined total of the Open Era. At the majors he won seven singles titles and nine men's doubles titles. He also excelled at the year-end tournaments, winning eight singles and seven doubles titles, both of which are records.

McEnroe contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later served as team captain. He has stayed active in retirement, often competing in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour. For many years he has also worked as a television commentator during the majors.



✵ 16. February 1959
John McEnroe photo
John McEnroe: 4 quotes1 like

Famous John McEnroe Quotes

“You are the pits of the world! Vultures! Trash!”

John McEnroe

To the umpire, spectators and reporters at Wimbledon, quoted in Time (December 28, 1981)

“I’ll let the racket do the talking.”

John McEnroe

On defending his title as Wimbledon champion, London Times (June 26, 1984)

“This taught me a lesson, but I’m not sure what it is.”

John McEnroe

On losing to Tim Mayotte in the Ebel US Pro Indoor Championships, NY Times (February 9, 1987)

“If, in a few months, I’m only number 8 or number 10 in the world, I’ll have to look at what off-the-court work I can do. I will need to do something if I want to be number 1.”

John McEnroe

On losing to Tim Mayotte in the Ebel US Pro Indoor Championships, NY Times (February 9, 1987)

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