John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. (born February 16, 1959 in Wiesbaden, Germany) was a top ranked professional tennis player and was No. 1 player in the world four times between 1981 and 1984. He was famous for his epic matches against rivals Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

He was an accomplished doubles player as well, and finished career with 77 singles championships and 77 more in men's doubles titles (including a record-breaking 5 at Queens Club).

McEnroe was a perennial member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, becoming their coach after he retired from tennis.

Career

He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1999.

At the 1990 Australian Open he became the first player to be disqualified from a Grand Slam, for using abusive language at court officials. At first subject to booing by crowds, especially in England, he gradually won their appreciation.

His Grand Slam titles were:

• U.S. Open (1979-1981, 1984)
  • 1979 Vitas Gerulaitis (7-5, 6-3, 6-3)
  • 1980 Björn Borg (7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4)
  • 1981 Björn Borg (4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3)
  • 1984 Ivan Lendl (6-3, 6-4, 6-1)
• Wimbledon (1981, 1983-1984)
  • 1981 Björn Borg (4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4)
  • 1983 Chris Lewis (6-2, 6-2, 6-2)
  • 1984 Jimmy Connors (6-1, 6-1, 6-2)

In 1978 McEnroe signed one of the first endorsement deals with Nike.

On July 7, 2004, McEnroe's CNBC talk show, McEnroe, made its debut. The show was not a success, twice earning a dismal 0.0 Nielsen rating. McEnroe was cancelled within five months.

For over a decade, John McEnroe has been a successful tennis commentator and television presenter for NBC, CBS and cable in the USA and the BBC in the UK.

Personal life

He was born on a U.S. military base in the former West Germany, but grew up in Douglaston, Queens.

McEnroe burst onto the international tennis scene as an 18-year-old in 1977 by making the Wimbledon semifinals. He attended Stanford University, and won the NCAA singles title in 1978. McEnroe became famous for his volatile temperament, giving rise to catchphrases such as "You cannot be serious," which later became the title of his autobiography.

McEnroe has been very vocal about his liberal political leanings.

In 2001, John McEnroe visited Buckingham Palace at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2002, McEnroe published his autobiography.

He lives with his wife, Patty Smyth, and his six children (three by his first wife Tatum O'Neal, 2 by Smyth, and one from Smyth's previous marriage to Richard Hell).