"I wanted the tenacity of Connors more than anything else; we were all envious of John's talent" - Todd Martin picks the best qualities of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, along with other top players
Todd Martin has highlighted aspects of the playing styles of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, and Ivan Lendl, among others, that he tried to emulate in his own game. The two-time Grand Slam finalist lauded the tenacity and sheer talent, respectively, of his fellow Americans Connors and McEnroe.
Martin also highlighted Borg's calmness and Lendl's work ethic as other enviable qualities. The 1999 US Open finalist said that he always aimed to model his style of play by including the best qualities of the iconic quartet of McEnroe, Connors, Borg, and Lendl.
Martin opened up about the same on an episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.
"The older four - Connors, Borg, McEnroe, and Lendl - I picked and chose what I wanted to be out of those," Todd Martin expressed. "I wanted the tenacity of Connors more than anything else. I wanted the ice water through the veins like Borg, I would've died for a work ethic like Lendl, and we were all envious of John's talent. I pieced a model for my game together across those four."
Martin also showered praise on Swedish tennis great Stefan Edberg, highlighting that Edberg displayed the perfect mix of aggression in his game style and calmness in his personality. He joked that he looked up to the Swede even more because his parents urged him to learn from the calm and gentlemanly Edberg.
"Edberg was the only one who was 'lock, stock, and barrel' for me. Aggressive game style, very composed, gentlemanly, high levels of sportsmanship. There was a lot there and probably a good bit of it was my parents saying, 'See, look at that guy. You should be more like him'," Martin said.
While the likes of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors and their generation played a more traditional kind of tennis, Martin believes the likes of Edberg and Becker displayed a more 'modern game' due to the progression of racquet technology.
"Certainly, Boris and Stefan's success in the mid-80s and the late 80s certainly helped. They were distinctly a more modern style of play. The racquet technology progression definitely made them play the game differently," the former World No. 4 opined.
"I'd taken the game to another level" - John McEnroe
Earlier this year, John McEnroe spoke about his playing days, stating that he believed he had taken tennis to another level during the late 70s and early 80s. He admitted that while the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have surpassed him with their incredible achievements in the current era, he is proud of his achievements back in the day.
"I said it in 1984 or '85, so it was a while ago, before these other guys Federer Nadal and Djokovic," John McEnroe said in an interview with CBS.
"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," he added.
McEnroe most recently won the 2022 Laver Cup as a non-playing captain, guiding Team World to their first-ever triumph at the tournament. The American great won 17 Grand Slam titles during his playing days, including seven in singles.