John McEnroe Admits He “Wanted to Marry” Chris Evert During US Open Tribute

“The attention you brought to the sport, however, made me want to be a tennis player, and thankfully, I became one.” John McEnroe caught all the attention of the tennis community when he uttered these words during the US Open tribute on live TV. It took him years, but he finally confessed his feelings for Christine Evert. And even the former WTA world number 1 was in shock. 

“And finally, like millions of other young boys, I wanted to marry you, okay. I admit it,” the former ATP world number 1 continued. Of course, the wild and sudden admission took Evert aback. And so were we! With shock and disbelief in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Now you tell me!” This seemed like a hint that things might have been different had McEnroe confessed his feelings years ago. But in 1974, Evert and Jimmy Connors got engaged, splashing water on McEnroe’s burning desires. 

Reflecting on that, McEnroe said, “But then you got engaged to Jimmy Connors. I hated that! I said if I ever play that guy, I’m gonna beat his a–.” Well, we can certainly say that ‘The Love Double’ didn’t really impress McEnroe. Connors and Evert got engaged to marry, but they later ended the engagement.

In the end, as laughter enveloped the broadcasting studio, John McEnroe took a stand for his feelings for Chris Evert. He said, “Chrissie, I love you, congrats.” However, he decided to keep their friendship intact. He continued, “Glad I can call you a friend.” The duo has shared a professional and personal friendship since their on-court dominance in the 1970s and 1980s.  Following their retirement from the active tennis roster, McEnroe and Evert maintained their friendship and entered the media as commentators for the sport. The two have often entertained the fans via ESPN’s coverage, while getting backlash for their commentary on a few instances.

It’d be a lie if we say that they don’t have noticeable on-air chemistry. But now that McEnroe revealed his feelings for Connors, let’s see what their rivalry was like, shall we? 

The rivalry between John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors

Of course, the rivalry between McEnroe and Connors was a fiery one. The two battled each other on 34 different occasions. And McEnroe won around 20 of these matches, leaving Connors with only 14 to his name. Weighing in on this, Connors once claimed, “Something like that never goes away, especially between Mac and myself…To have carried on this rivalry for so many years, and for you still to be talking about it, must mean that we made our mark somewhere.”

They even shared some heated on-court moments. For example, let’s reflect on the event at Rosemont, Illinois, back in 1982. Connors jumped over the net to confront McEnroe, who kept his index finger up as a warning. Three officials had to jump in to break the duo as they engaged in an on-court scuffle. And this rivalry also helped the sport rise in viewership. 

Tracy Austin rightfully said, “You throw in Jimmy Connors in there, who it was very apparent there was a disliking between John and Jimmy Connors so that makes people more intrigued. There’s no love affair there, they’re not crazy about each other.” But when it comes to love, Jimmy Connors was definitely ahead of John McEnroe.

Find out the best of the on-court drama from the 2025 US Open by visiting the EssentiallySports Live Blog!