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Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe recently opened up about overcoming his 'Superbrat' persona back in the day. He revealed to Nick Kyrgios that having kids and age brought him calmness.
McEnroe established himself as a legendary singles tennis player in the late 70s and early 80s. He won a total of seven Grand Slams, including four at the US Open (1979-81, 1984) and three at Wimbledon (1981, 1983, and 1984).
He was known not only for his prowess on the court but his temper as well. Frequently showing anger and frustration while playing earned him the nickname 'Superbrat'.
In a recent episode of the "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios" podcast, McEnroe recalled how the crowd's perception of him changed after an emotional outbreak at Wimbledon. He said (at 15:57):
"I remember the first year I played here (Wimbledon). I was playing on Court 1, it was probably the first time they ever saw me get mad on the court. I had lost the first set, I took the racket (gestures breaking) and they all started booing and I was like ‘Why are they booing?’"
"I get back to New York... ‘Hey are you the brat guy? The Superbrat?’, wait a minute. And it just turned into… I was like ‘Superbrat’… that's got to be the worst goddamn name. I have to put up with this sh*t for the rest of my life," he said
The American then joked about still being called 'Superbrat' but claimed that parenting and aging have calmed him down.
"As a matter of fact, I'm 65 and I'm still hearing this but you do learn, you get a little bit of thicker skin, having kids has helped, but I was thin-skinned," he added.
John McEnroe fathers three children named Kevin, Sean, and Emily, from his first marriage with Academy Award-winning actress, Tatum O'Neal. He also has two daughters, Anna and Ava, with his second wife Patty Smyth, a singer-songwriter.
John McEnroe: "I was shy"
In the same conversation on the "Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios" podcast, John McEnroe told Nick Kyrgios that the media mistook him for a 'Superbrat'. He instead claimed to be reserved, saying:
"I think they had it completely wrong. If anything, I was shy," he said [at 15:20].
The seven-time Grand Slam champion then explained how he chose rage over panic to hide his insecurities on the court.
"It’s like what better to show, fear, vulnerability, start crying on the court or anger? If that’s the choices... I hid behind ‘it’s better to get angry and deal with the ramifications of that than show fear, vulnerability'. But that’s all they see, they don’t see anything else," McEnroe added.
John McEnroe quit playing tennis on the singles circuit in 1994 after a storied career that lasted for 16 years and saw him become the World No. 1.
