John McEnroe

Tennis Player

1959-02-16

Quotes by John McEnroe

• But these guys learn so fast now, they sort of soak up the information, they're fearless. Those are the guys who learn from their mistakes and come back strong the next time.

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• The greatest compliment I ever got was when people called me an artist, and I understand that solo aspect of being an artist, when you're in there by yourself, trying to do something great, and people who don't even know you can come up and just dump on you.

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• I went on safari in South Africa just after apartheid had ended.

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• The best thing I ever did was when I was offered a million dollars to go play in South Africa and didn't take it. I was 21 years old, and part of it was like, 'Well, if they're offering me this obscene amount of money just to play one match, there must be something really wrong.'

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• I did a terrible job of composing myself. I was a spoiled brat from Long Island who benefitted from the energy of New York.

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• I went to play in Brazil when I had just turned 18 and was the world's top junior player. I got to the airport, and no one knew who I was. I couldn't speak any Portuguese, and no one spoke English. Then someone said something that resembled 'tennis,' and I went with that.

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• The sting of losing is bad.

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• There's something deeply satisfying when it succeeds, but I'm not going to do another book just to put my name on something and make some money if it's not something I deeply care about.

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• Everybody loves success, but they hate successful people.

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• I am finicky about making sure my sneakers are pretty tight. It is almost like a superstition for me.

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• I like to be close to water and the ocean, particularly. I love to get out and body surf. I like mountain biking, too.

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• It's ironic - people used to want to suspend me and talk about how bad my behaviour was, but now they like it when I shout and scream.

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• I'm a tell-it-like-it-is kind of person; I don't like being misled or someone not telling the truth. That upsets me.

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• Why don't they go back to wood racquets? Then we would see the best tennis to be played.

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• What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well.

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• I don't really know why I started playing as a kid, but I grew up in Queens, New York, not too far from Forest Hills, where they played the U.S. Open in those days. I even got to be a ball boy there. Also, there was a tennis court just a block away from our house, and I'd hang out down there.

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• Do women golfers say they could go out and beat Tiger Woods?

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• To be involved in a senior tournament back in the States is very satisfying.

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• If you watch a guy go out on court and have a meltdown, you're not going to think, 'Oh my God, now I'm screwed.' Or you're not going to think, 'The umpire's going to give him calls because he's just told him he's an idiot or the pits of the world.'

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• There was a line call that didn't look so great. I went ballistic. Called the umpire a jerk. Whacked a ball into the stands. Then smacked a soda can with my racket, and got soda all over the King of Sweden, who was sitting in the front row.

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