‘Not as Physically Intimidating as a Rafael Nadal’ – John McEnroe Once Took a Perfect Example to Justify His On-Court Intensity

John McEnroe is one of the greatest tennis players the US has ever produced. He has won 7 singles Grand Slams and 77 career singles titles in total. Further, he also achieved the ranking of World No.1 during his time on the tour. However, McEnroe is infamous for his on-court outbursts and frequent altercations with the chair umpires.

The veteran is among the few players in his era who expressed their emotions on the court. McEnroe, in an interview given in 2013, opened up about his actions during his professional tennis career.

John McEnroe about his on-court recklessness

In the interview, McEnroe responded to the hostility towards his behavior that existed during his playing days. He said, “People have personalities seems like umpires did terrible jobs when I came out. I was surprised when I went to England and they thought I was Attila the Hun or something.” Attila was the leader of the ancient nomadic people who identified as the Huns. He is famous for his ruthless nature, as he massacred thousands of people during his reign.

Thereafter, he confessed, “I’m not as physically intimidating as a Rafael Nadal, so you have to try to get an edge. One person who I saw that did an unbelievable job at that was Connors.” 

“The guy wanted it more, he was hungry, he tried harder, and he had this intensity. So I had to try to get inside someone’s head and get myself. So worked up, so they’d feel they were up against it.” McEnroe added.

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The seven time Grand Slam champion has locked horns with Connors 34 times in which he leads 20-14. They last met in the indoor hard courts of Switzerland in 1991. McEnroe defeated his compatriot in straight sets of 6-1, 6-3 to reach the finals of the tournament.

What is McEnroe up to these days?

John McEnroe, after retiring in 1994, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. Following that, he took up the role of a sports commentator.

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The four time US Open champion has been working as a commentator for American tennis networks such as ESPN, CBS, and NBC during various ATP tournaments. Further, for Wimbledon, he collaborated with the BBC.