"Ivan Lendl's going to hit me? Shows what a classy person he is" - When John McEnroe and Lendl got into a war of words over contentious Dallas final
John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl once faced off in a contentious title clash at the 1983 World Tennis Championships final in Dallas, Texas. In the aftermath of the tense final, the duo got into a heated war of words, trading barbs back and forth.
McEnroe entered the event in Dallas as the second seed, delivering a stellar campaign to set up a blockbuster final against defending champion Lendl. The duo engaged in a closely contested four-hour and 16-minute battle, with the American eventually claiming a hard-fought 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(0) victory.
Shortly after, both John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl competed in the WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. Still smarting from his recent defeat, Lendl accused the American of intimidating the officials during their title clash in Dallas.
The Czech-American voiced his deep frustration with McEnroe, emphasizing that if he couldn't physically confront his rival, he would aim to hit him with the ball whenever possible.
"If I cannot hit him with my fists, I will hit him with the balls...every time," he said as quoted by Sports Illustrated.
Lendl alleged that the American had escaped punishment for throwing his racket in the Dallas final. He asserted that he wouldn't tolerate John McEnroe's behavior any longer, expressing his determination to take matters into his own hands instead of leaving it up to the officials.
The Czech-American also took a dig at McEnroe, declaring that he had no "realistic chance" of beating Guillermo Vilas in the semifinals of the event in Forest Hills.
"He threw his racket the length of the court in Dallas and got away with it. I won't put up with it anymore. I'll take matters into my own hands.... But I don't see any realistic chance of him beating Vilas in the semifinals," he said.
John McEnroe hit back at Ivan Lendl, dismissing his comments as "extremely sour grapes." In response to Lendl's allegations, the American argued that throwing a racket was only problematic if it struck someone. McEnroe also sarcastically remarked on Lendl's "classy" behavior for wanting to hit him.
"All of a sudden Lendl's cool because he's going to hit me? That shows what a classy person he is. We're in two different worlds. This is what hockey is trying to get away from," John McEnroe said.
Contrary to Ivan Lendl's prediction, John McEnroe dominated his semifinal clash against Vilas, claiming a 6-1, 6-1 victory. The American went to beat Vitas Gerulaitis 6-3, 7-5 in the final to clinch the Forest Hills WCT title.
John McEnroe on French Open 1984 loss to Ivan Lendl: "It was the worst loss of my life, a devastating defeat"
Entering the 1984 French Open as the top seed, John McEnroe produced an impressive run at the claycourt Major, setting up a highly anticipated title clash against Ivan Lendl in his maiden final at the event.
Despite winning the first two sets in dominant fashion, the American ultimately fell short in the final, suffering a narrow 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 loss.
Reflecting on the heartbreaking defeat in his book 'You Cannot Be Serious,' John McEnroe called it the "worst loss" of his life and revealed that it still keeps him up at night.
"It was the worst loss of my life, a devastating defeat: Sometimes it still keeps me up nights," he wrote.
McEnroe also admitted that it is difficult for him to even provide commentary at the French Open because it brings back the painful memories of his devastating missed opportunity in the final.
"It’s even tough for me now to do the commentary at the French—I’ll often have one or two days when I literally feel sick to my stomach just at being there and thinking about that match. Thinking of what I threw away, and how different my life would’ve been if I’d won," he said.