John McEnroe once distanced himself from the on-court behavior displayed by the likes of Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase despite acknowledging his own outbursts. McEnroe candidly explained why he believed his conduct to be more restrained in comparison.
Over the course of his legendary career, McEnroe gained a reputation for his fiery and volatile behavior during matches, from angrily arguing with umpires to getting into altercations with his fellow players. During an appearance on the NPR Fresh Air talk show, the former World No. 1 commended the players who managed to keep their composure on the court despite the “frustrating” nature of the sport.
“First of all, I think that most of the players in the sport of tennis are remarkably well-behaved. You know, I would consider myself more of the average Joe type of guy that goes out there. And, you know, it’s such a frustrating game that I was amazed that people could keep their composure as well as they did,” John McEnroe said.
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John McEnroe also expressed his belief that Jimmy Connors was much worse than him on the court, suggesting that the eight-time Grand Slam champion and Ilie Nastase went to "vulgar" levels with their behavior. McEnroe asserted that he had learned a lot after watching their perceived inappropriate antics.
"And one of the other - and, I mean, Connors, for example - I mean, I think he did worse things on the court than I did, with all due respect to him - and Nastase were two guys I - I kid, but it's true. I taught - they taught me a lot," he said.
"Well, there were certain antics that they did that were way beyond the pale, in my book, of what I was doing. You know, I'm not saying I'm some angel. But I'm saying they - you know, they took it to, you know, vulgarity at times, you know, situations where there would be altercations, you know, potentially, you know," he added.
Andre Agassi once expressed similar complaints about Jimmy Connors. However, he lumped John McEnroe in with Connors, asserting that he didn't like either of them "because of certain behavioral things."
"Jimmy Connors blew me off completely" - John McEnroe on compatriot's successful attempt to 'intimidate' him at Wimbledon
During the same talk show, John McEnroe recalled his experience of competing at Wimbledon for the first time in 1977. Despite entering the grasscourt Major as a qualifier, the American made a dream run to the semifinals before suffering a 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 loss to eventual runner-up Jimmy Connors.
McEnroe disclosed that Connors didn't even deign to acknowledge his existense before the match and ignored his efforts to make an introduction. The former World No. 1 also admitted that Connors' attempt to "intimidate" him had succeeded since he couldn't overcome the pressure of the occasion.
"But as far as Connors, he blew me off completely. He wouldn't acknowledge my existence before, which was, you know, I tried to introduce myself. He just walked by me as if I didn't exist. So that was sort of - I was like, oh, my God, there goes the first set. I was, like, so wound up. I'd never been on the center court of Wimbledon. I'm playing Jimmy Connors. He's trying to intimidate me already and he did. He succeeded," John McEnroe said.
Following their first meeting at Wimbledon, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors formed a thrilling rivalry, locking horns in 34 tour-level encounters. McEnroe emerged as the winner in their head-to-head with a 20-14 lead.
