John McEnroe never liked losing, both when he was active on the tour and now, several years after his retirement. Even during his peak, he was known for his stubborn resilience to win the match. He could not take a defeat easily and has accepted on numerous occasions that the regret of losing affected him more than the joy of winning.

Following on the same lines, the player reminisced about the two-year-old exhibition match against Michael Chang, which he had lost.

John McEnroe despises losing a match against Michael Chang

In March 2020, John McEnroe decided to play an exhibition match against Michael Chang at the Indian Wells. The American player lost that match but two years down the line, he has not forgotten that defeat. He commended Michael Chang while expressing some reservations regarding his form at the moment.

He said, “But he’s lost something with his body: he used to be a great runner, he wasn’t running.” The issue was not just with his form, but that McEnroe was in better shape than him. He continued, “And long story short, I lose to him. I’m like, ‘Argh, that’s it! I can’t even beat him!'”

Why did McEnroe get agitated over his defeat?

Michael Chang became the youngest player to win the French Open title in 1989 when he was just 17 years old. Though he did not win any more grand slam titles, he was well-renowned for his time spent on the tour. He had won 34 titles during his career and ranked world no.2 at his peak. Compared to him, McEnroe had a better record and won seven grand slam titles and his career rank high was also world no.1.

He was so agitated by the loss from his 13 year junior that he had called his agent. He told him, “Don’t you ever put me in another match for the rest of my life!” Furthermore, he mulled over about his age. He said, “Getting old s**ks is the bottom line.” McEnroe did not believe that he should be identifying as a tennis player anymore.

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McEnroe prefers to be a guitarist over a tennis player

The American player has a great interest in music, and he plays the guitar too. Moreover, he also has his own rock band named, ‘Johnny Smyth Band’. He told his wife, “If people ask me what I do for a living, I’m going to say I’m a guitar player.”

His wife herself is a musician, but she understands him and is experienced in rationalizing for him. He told her wife’s reaction, “And she said, ‘No, I’m not letting you do that.’ So I got to keep pushing the tennis a little more.” 

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Nowadays, McEnroe works as a commentator during major tournaments. He was also present at the centenary celebration of the Centre Court at Wimbledon.