At that moment I thought I'd taken the game to another level but Federer, Nadal and Djokovic seem to have gone by me now: John McEnroe
John McEnroe recently sat down with CBS to talk about his freshly-released documentary, which traces his sensational life on and off the tennis court. The documentary also captures a claim the American made in the 1980s about being the greatest player in the sport, but McEnroe clarified during the interview that he may have been outmatched by a certain trio in recent times.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner pointed out how Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all managed an unprecedented tally of 20 or more Major titles, surpassing him with quite some distance to spare.
At the same time, he was proud to have contributed to the sport's popularity back in the era of wooden racquets.
"I said it in 1984 or '85, so it was a while ago, before these other guys Federer Nadal and Djokovic," the American said. "These guys seem to have gone by me but at that moment my hair was a different color with different times, the end of the wooden racket era, but at that moment I thought I'd taken the game to another level."
McEnroe, who was famous for his frequent on-court meltdowns and altercations with the umpires, was asked whether he has evolved to be more empathetic with time. The 63-year-old replied that although it wasn't the easiest trait to imbibe, parenthood softened his mercurial temperament.
"Well, six kids later, I'm better than I was. I wouldn't call that my strong suit," McEnroe said. "I sort of look at things fairly black and white although it ends up being sort of a gray area like when push comes to shove. I mean look at politics, everyone's on one side or the other but it seemed like we'd be better off somewhere in the middle and I think in general that would be better the way to lead life."
The American went on to attribute his hunger for excellence to his perfectionist parents. He revealed how they pushed him to be the best and he felt a constant urge to accomplish the biggest laurels in the sport.
"They were sort of perfectionists," he continued. "They were great parents, I felt the love so that wasn't the issue there. It's just that it never seemed like it was enough, you always had to do more and I think that some point that becomes a detriment as opposed to something that's positive. It always felt like you had to keep going. So I was like one Wimbledon or two, three were enough. Now I wish I'd listened to them more because these other guys have so many more."
"He could win the whole thing if he kept his head together"- John McEnroe on Nick Kyrgios
During the same interview, John McEnroe was asked to comment on Nick Kyrgios, someone who showcases a similar on-court temperament as the American. McEnroe, who is Kyrgios' mentor during his stint for Team World at the Laver Cup, admitted that the Australian could have had a way more illustrious CV had he collected himself together during crucial moments in his tennis career.
"He's a great kid. He could win the whole thing if he kept his head totogether,hat's the bottom line. He moves the needle for us," John McEnroe said of the Australian.
A new documentary chronicles the rise and rocky reign of tennis icon John McEnroe. On the eve of the U.S. Open, Johnny Mac talks about Serena’s finale, Novak’s ban and what kind of tennis player he might have been like if he was coming up today: wsj.com/articles/john-…
John McEnroe will be seen covering the upcoming US Open as a commentator and analyst for ESPN.