No tennis enthusiast would be unaware of the on-court outbursts and aggression of John McEnroe. Though he had accepted in his book that he had taken classes to manage his anger, often he couldn’t control his outbursts. One such incident came to light during the custody battle of McEnroe and his ex-wife, Tatum O’Neal. He had punished his 13-year-old son after he had been caught doing an illegal act.

The player never hid his emotions both on or off the court and was brutally honest with his words, be it against an opposing player or a chair umpire.

John McEnroe once gave his 13-year-old son a harsh punishment

The American tennis legend was not world-renowned only because of his astounding on-court performances. He had gained name because of his outbursts and aggressive behavior on the court. During the custody battle of his kids with his ex-wife, an incident involving a harsh punishment of their 13-year-old son, Kevin, had come up.

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According to court reports, Kevin had found his father’s marijuana and had smoked it. It stated that McEnroe had, “ordered Kevin to lie face down on the bed, pulled his pants down… to expose… his bare b*tt*cks and sp*nked him three or four times.”

‘I Was Loved and Cared For…’- Ex-wife Tatum O’Neal Regrets Dumping ‘Superbrat’ John McEnroe Over Tumultuous Marriage

Though the player admitted it was an embarrassing punishment, he admitted “Kevin did deserve” it. However, it didn’t end there. McEnroe accepted that he had “kicked Kevin in the shin causing some pain and a bruise.” His ex-wife had used this as an argument to win the custody of their children.

The saga of on-court outbursts

It is not uncommon for tennis players to have on-court momentary outbursts. Tennis is a game that brings out the raw emotions of the players. The legacy had been going on since the inception of the sport. This year, we have seen Nick Kyrgios getting fined multiple times because of his aggressive behavior on the court. Other than that, Alexander Zverev too was fined after he smashed his racquet on the chair of the umpire in the heat of the moment.

WATCH THIS STORY: Nick Kyrgios’ uncontrollable rant at the chair umpire in the Miami Open 2022

Despite such players, we can not forget about players like Chris Evert, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Evert, in particular, hardly ever expressed her emotions on the court and it lead to her getting the nickname ‘Ice Maiden’.