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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 Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.
Tennis career
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. After retiring as a player, McEnroe coached the Davis Cup team.
His Grand Slam titles were:
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.At 1990 Australian Open he became the first player to be disqualified from a Grand Slam.He was disqualified for using abusive language at court officials. At first subject to booing by crowds, especially in England, he gradually won their appreciation.In 2001, John McEnroe visited Buckingham Palace at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2002, McEnroe published the aforementioned autobiography. 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. 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).
TV career
A political liberal, McEnroe has recently been very vocal about his political leanings. 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. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Famein Newport, Rhode Island, in 1999.
Grand Slam titles (7)
1979 U.S. Open Vitas Gerulaitis 7-5, 6-3, 6-3
1980 U.S. Open Björn Borg 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4
1981 Wimbledon Björn Borg 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4
1981 U.S. Open Björn Borg 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3
1983 Wimbledon Chris Lewis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2
1984 Wimbledon Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
1984 U.S. Open Ivan Lendl 6-3, 6-4, 6-1
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