John McEnroe

John McEnroe: A Brief Biography

John McEnroe is someone who has combined legendary tennis accomplishments with entertaining character on the court in equal measure. There have been few such icons in the sport’s history. Such has been McEnroe’s impact that people still consider his rivalry with Bjorn Borg as one of the most remarkable of all time.

John McEnroe is a former world no. 1 tennis player who won seven grand slam singles titles and another 10 majors in doubles and mixed doubles. He also won the Davis Cup five times for the USA. He was at the peak of his powers during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. McEnroe was a left-handed player with a single-handed backhand. His style of play focused on eye-catching shot-making and quick hands at the net. Most notably, he had a fiery attitude while playing and this included confrontations with match and tournament officials.

John McEnroe was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999. More recently, he has been a renowned tennis commentator and pundit. He has also ventured into music and has made several appearances on TV shows. He is active philanthropically and in developing tennis through his academy in New York City.

John McEnroe Personal Information

John McEnroe Early Life

John McEnroe was born on February 16, 1959 in Wiesbaden, West Germany. His father moved to New York when he was nine months old. He began playing tennis at the age of eight at the Douglaston Club. He was nine when he was enrolled at the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association by his parents. He soon progressed to playing junior-level tournaments and at 12, he was ranked seventh in his age group. McEnroe went to the Trinity School in Manhattan, New York and graduated in 1977.

John McEnroe Personal Life

John McEnroe briefly pursued a music career after retiring from singles in 1994. He formed The Johnny Smyth Band as the lead singer and guitarist. He toured and performed for two years before suddenly quitting in 1997, just before completing his first album.

Today McEnroe is a famous tennis commentator who has worked for leading broadcast channels in the U.S. and is known for speaking his mind freely on air. He has also occasionally played on the senior tour and in exhibition tennis matches. His efforts to promote tennis saw him open the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randall's Island in New York City in 2010.

McEnroe’s fiery persona on the court during his days has followed him in his personal life. He has been parodied various times in popular culture. He has also appeared as himself on many occasions in TV shows like 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Saturday Night Live.

John McEnroe Family Background

John McEnroe Jr. was born to John Patrick McEnroe and Katherine “Kay” Tresham. McEnroe Sr. was born to Irish immigrants and worked in the U.S. Air Force. Following his service, he was an advertising agent while also attending Fordham Law School at night. John McEnroe Jr. has two younger brothers - Mark and Patrick, with the latter also being a former professional tennis player.

John McEnroe Wife

McEnroe married Patty Smyth in 1997. Patricia “Patty” Smyth is an American rock singer and songwriter. McEnroe was previously married to American actress Tatum O'Neal from 1986 to 1994.

John McEnroe Kids

John McEnroe has two daughters with his second wife Patty Smyth - Anna McEnroe and Ava McEnroe. He also has a stepdaughter Ruby with Smyth. McEnroe also has three children from his first marriage with Tatum O’Neal - Emily McEnroe, Sean McEnroe and Kevin McEnroe.

John McEnroe Social Media

John McEnroe uses social media only occasionally. He sometimes tweets on X through the official handle @JohnMcEnroe, where he has over 20k followers. It is notable that he does not officially use Instagram.

John McEnroe Net Worth

According to online sources, John McEnroe’s net worth is estimated at around $100 million as of September 2023. His primary income sources include tennis prize money, partnerships with multiple leading brands, TV/Film work, tennis commentary and his tennis academy.

John McEnroe Prize Money

According to the ATP website, John McEnroe has won over $12.5 million in prize money in his playing career.

John McEnroe Brand Ambassador

John McEnroe has been a brand ambassador for many leading brands. He was famously partnered by Dunlop as his racket provider during his playing days. He also used Völkl equipment during the 1990s. For his apparel needs, McEnroe teamed up with Sergio Tacchini, who made his headband iconic.

More recently, John McEnroe has collaborated with Nike, Dove Men Care and Travelex. He has reportedly also had commercial ties with Mercedes, Tesco, Seat Altea, American Express, HEAD, Gold Coast, Penn Solinco and Heineken.

John McEnroe Investments

Specific details about John McEnroe’s investments are not available in the public domain. However, it has been reported that he has built his net worth through the real estate market, stock exchange dealings and art collection.

John McEnroe Achievements

John McEnroe turned professional in 1978 and made his grand slam debut at the 1977 French Open, where he lost in the second round. In only his second-ever major at Wimbledon in the same year, he reached the semi-finals, where he lost to Jimmy Connors. It was then the best result by a male qualifier at a grand slam. He then reached the semi-finals of the 1978 U.S. Open and lost to Connors again.

John McEnroe won his first ATP singles title at Hartford in the U.S. in September 1978. In January 1979, he lifted his first Masters title in his home city of New York by winning against the legendary Arthur Ashe in the final.

1979 proved to be a breakthrough season for McEnroe as he won his first doubles grand slam at Wimbledon by teaming up with Peter Fleming. He also won his first singles major at the US Open that year. He also won the WCT Finals by defeating soon-to-be long-term rival Björn Borg.

At Wimbledon in 1980, John McEnroe prevailed over compatriot Jimmy Connors in the semi-final after intense arguments with officials during the match. The stage was set when McEnroe, playing his first singles final at Wimbledon, faced Borg. His run was ended by the Swede in a five-set thriller that has been hailed as one of the best grand slam finals ever. However, McEnroe exacted revenge over Borg at the 1980 US Open final. This time he won in five sets to successfully defend his title. John McEnroe became the world no. 1 for the first time in March 1980.

In 1981, McEnroe made his way to the Wimbledon final again and in controversial fashion. His foul-mouthed comments for the officials saw him close to being disqualified. Luckily, he escaped that punishment and went on to win the final against Borg. This ended Borg’s 41-match winning run at the prestigious grass-court grand slam and gave McEnroe his first Wimbledon singles championship.

In 1984, John McEnroe enjoyed his most successful season with 13 singles titles, including the US Open and Wimbledon. He also reached his only French Open final that year but lost to Ivan Lendl. Despite being at his peak, McEnroe never won a grand slam singles title after 1984. John McEnroe has also won the Davis Cup five times for the USA.

John McEnroe Best Finish at each Grand Slam

The following table lists John McEnroe’s best results at grand slam events in his career.

John McEnroe Titles Won

According to the ATP website, John McEnroe has won 77 singles titles and 77 doubles titles in his career, including seven major singles titles, nine doubles majors and one mixed-doubles major title. Additionally, he has three singles Tour Finals wins and five singles WCT Finals wins. In doubles, he has won the Tour Finals on seven occasions.

John McEnroe Coaching

John McEnroe was coached by Antonio Palafox. Palafox is a former Mexican tennis player. McEnroe was also recruited by coach Dick Gould at Stanford University.

John McEnroe has been the captain of Team World in the Laver Cup since 2017.

John McEnroe Diet

There are no details known about John McEnroe’s diet.

John McEnroe House

John McEnroe currently lives in Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New York city. According to a Wall Street Journal article, he has a duplex overlooking Central Park. During childhood, he settled at a home in Queens. According to an Express UK article, McEnroe also owns a ranch home in Malibu, a home in Malibu's Paradise Cove and properties in Los Angeles and New York.

John McEnroe Cars

No details are available about McEnroe’s car collection.