He clearly is disappointed about what happened last weekend in Spain, and he still wants to win every time he takes the court. But John McEnroe knows that life is more than just tennis.
If there was any question about that, it hit home for him Tuesday.
McEnroe returned home Monday from Europe after the Davis Cup team he captained for the U.S. was shut out by Spain 5-0. McEnroe returned home on a flight from Paris. On a Concorde.
“I was on a Concorde flight that left from Paris on Monday,” McEnroe said. “Yesterday there was the tragedy on the Concorde. To me that puts things in perspective. I went and saw my children the last couple of days; I hadn’t had a chance to see them while I was in Europe. Yeah, we got bageled and goose-egged and stuff [in Spain], but life is all right.”
When he is on the court, McEnroe is all business and that was evident when he dispatched John Lloyd 6-4, 6-3 in his opening match of the Nuveen Champions tour at Grant Park. Much of the play on the senior’s tour is good-natured. Although every player still wants to win, there is banter between players and fans during matches and trick shots.
Virtually every one of the 3,442 that packed the stadium Wednesday came to see the famous McEnroe temper. He followed the script when, already up a break at 5-3 in the first set, he fired his racket to the ground after missing a shot. When drew a lukewarm reception from the crowd, he picked up the racket and fired it to the ground again, drawing a better response.
But there are also times when McEnroe deviates and the anger–at himself mostly these days–is real.
“I would say that 54 percent is an act, 42 percent is real and 4 is undecided,” McEnroe said, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
McEnroe will be back in action Thursday evening when he faces Tim Wilkinson at 7 p.m.
