"One of the greatest of all time" - John McEnroe honored with the 'Legion of Honor' by French President Emmanuel Macron
American tennis legend and commentator John McEnroe was recently honored with the French Legion of Honor. He received the award from the President of France, Emmanuel Macron who himself is an avid tennis fan.
McEnroe has had an impressive career, winning seven Grand Slam singles titles—three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open—during his career. Famous for his serve-and-volley style and incredible touch, McEnroe also excelled in doubles, winning nine Grand Slam titles. On top of that, the American also won five Davis Cups in his career.
In addition to his impressive tennis achievements, John McEnroe was all smiles while receiving the French Legion of Honor. The ceremony at the Elysee Palace also included guests Mats Wilander and famous tennis personality Mansour Bahrami.
After presenting the honor, Emmanuel Macron lavished praise on McEnroe, calling him one of the greatest of all time. He underscored the tennis legend's numerous achievements to support his statement.
“You are a legend of world sport, one of the greatest of all time. And since the start of the Open era, no other player has won as many titles as you: 155 including 17 Grand Slams in singles and doubles, as well as World No. 1 in singles and doubles simultaneously," Macron said (via L’Equipe).
The French Legion of Honor is given to individuals, both French and international, who have made important contributions to France. The coveted award honors accomplishments in the military, cultural, scientific, or social domains. Moreover, it is the French government that selects recipients, who include well-known people from numerous fields.
John McEnroe expressed his anger at the late-night
scheduling during the French Open
John McEnroe was dissatisfied with the late-night scheduling concerns during the French Open. The 65-year-old also saw it as the cause that aggravated Novak Djokovic's knee problem.
"Putting Djokovic, 37, on the court at 10:30 PM without knowing how long his match would last, was a huge mistake on the part of the organization. The weather was very bad, and they were in a difficult situation. I understand that they wanted to catch up, but there were other solutions to finish the other match," John McEnroe told Le Figaro.
Djokovic's impressive French Open season was cut short by a knee injury sustained during his fourth-round match against Francisco Cerúndolo on Monday, June 3. The Serb overcame Lorenzo Musseti in the third round, but the match was delayed for two hours because the preceding match between Zizou Bergs and Grigor Dimitrov was rescheduled for the Philippe Chatrier, due to rain.
"Novak had been bothered by his knee for a few weeks. He had to fall asleep at 7 AM and come back to play a day and a half later (against Cerundolo in the fourth round). It's a challenge for anyone. He had to fight 5 sets again, it's too much to ask. Even for Novak. If we can't say for sure, it's one of the reasons why he injured his knee. In any case, you don't treat a player, and even less the best in the world, that way," he added.
Djokovic just had surgery in Paris, which was fortunately successful. The bad news is that the 37-year-old will miss the Wimbledon Championships and the Paris Olympics due to a torn meniscus.