Former American tennis star John McEnroe was among the fieriest characters on the court. Back in his playing days, people loved him for the aggression and energy he brought to the court. However, as with any human being, McEnroe also went through challenging phases in his life.

The former world number 1 recently spoke about how he felt at that moment. He also spoke about the way he tried to overcome the situation. Here’s what he said.

John McEnroe speaks about the challenging phase of his life

Every champion athlete has a phase in his career when things seem to be going off the track. That phase came into McEnroe’s life after he became a father. A 27-year-old tennis star who already made a name for himself had his own way to deal with it.

Recently, the former world number one spoke about that phase in the apple.com podcast. Here’s what he said.

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“After I had children. I was 27 when Kevin was born. I think I started to look and feel a tad differently. It seemed like I was sort of a cigarette smoker who couldn’t quit. And it felt like it was just becoming a negative.”

‘We Are a Bit Wacky’- Nick Kyrgios’ Wild Tantrums Once Prompted ‘Superbrat’ John McEnroe to Go Out of His Way to Help the Aussie

Parenting is an important responsibility. While it brings added perspective to life, the challenges are there as well. Later, McEnroe turned out to be a great dad as he credits his kids for the change in his behavior. The McEnroe we see and know today is a lot different from the one in his playing days.

McEnroe has seen tough times initially in his career as well. The seven-time Grand Slam champion also had a hard time while growing up. He had a lonely childhood and found peace in tennis once he started playing professionally.

Tennis helped McEnroe make friends

McEnroe had a lonely childhood. The 63-year-old vividly remembers that the prime reason behind it was the distance of his home from the school. It was the main reason he didn’t have enough time to gel with other students. However, the loneliness ended soon as he started playing tennis professionally.

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As he kept moving up the ladder, soon the American became a pretty popular name in the tennis community. It is commendable how  McEnroe found a way to come back after hitting the rock bottom every time. There’s definitely a lot to learn from him for the younger generation, apart from his brilliant tennis skills and knowledge.