and I'm like I'm not I mean come on let's have a little I I know I'm misbehaving here but I'm not at this level at the the level that throwing throwing me out it just felt like it so that that became a frustration 1980 Wimbledon you end up in this epic battle in the final yeah you thought you knew Johnny Mack think again forget everything you thought you knew about the man with the temper and the worldclass backhand we're going deep inside the life and career of probably the most controversial man in tennis from onc Court Antics to the softside few ever had any clue existed you knew that his dad was his manager right and Mack Andro dropped the bomb about his career that no one saw coming stay tuned as we are yet to unravel more drama right here on the court it's February 1959 a year of poodle skirts in Elvis Presley and then pow a little ball of fire named John mackenro Jr exploded into this world born in Germany you don't say talk about a global Star right from the get-go dad was throwing missiles for the Air Force so little Johnny boy was probably chasing planes in the crib Flash Forward a few years and the little terror found himself in New York City the great Concrete Jungle Queens for that matter a breeding ground for tough gritty Champions if if you ask me at 8 years old he was already trading volleys with his imaginary opponents this kid was destined for greatness mark my words at 8 just 8 hitting groundstrokes on the douglason Club Courts the fact is I probably couldn't even tie my shoes at his age well not Johnny Mack no Siri he's out there plotting his takeover of the tennis world his folks watched this raw talent and decide it's time to raise the stakes the Eastern lawn tennis Association no problem Regional tournaments breezes through them National Juniors walks in the park before you know it he's only 12 years old and this kid is one of the top players in the world we're talking about a future Grand Slam Champ here people someone who changed the game forever but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves there's a whole lot of drama sweat and well tons have probably thrown in here mroe didn't just play tennis he owned it five Davis Cup titles can you say winning the World Series five years back to back oh and he was the captain of the team but come on guys it wasn't all about the game for mackenro he was a character a legend for what he did on the court for sure but also for his sharp tongue and even sharper opinions this guy was riveting for all the right and wrong reasons love him or hate him he kept tennis exciting before we dive on and off the court make sure to like And subscribe and now back to the video John mackenro the tennis great whose temper seemed as fiery as his backhand was pitched up to talk to the equally explosive Nick kgos with the microphone at a chatting distance naturally their thoughts turned to one of the most iconic tennis moments in history we're talking about that Wimbledon outburst you know you cannot be serious macenroe had exploded in a volcanic eruption of frustration across the hallowed lawn of Center Court that in tennis terms is the moment etched in lore the defining chapter in the mackenro story it was the wrong decide the ball CH came up all over no it was it was a bit of a spread Mr Mao that was excuse me you can't be serious man you cannot be serious that ball was on the line shalk blew up kgos always the Intriguing character probed whether Mack androe ever once looked back at that moment and wished it had been someone else who would take the crown as tennis's ultimate tantrum thrower so what we do know is that Mcenroe's dad is very much likely to have been Mr Cool and a lawyer oh can you just imagine having a dad for a lawyer I mean imagine the family dinners this guy tried to keep his hot-headed son in check John just play the bloody game he would tell him shaking his head in despair don't give the umpires any ammo but such as mackenro a firecracker just biting his time so finally he blows take Wimbledon in 1981 packed crowd sunny day and here's mackenro tangling with Tom gullixson all's well and good until well all hell breaks loose when an Umpire dares to call out macenroe I mean have you ever been that mad before you know that veins popping face turning red mad that's Mack Andro for you you cannot be serious he Roars The Crowd Goes Wild I bet even the pigeons on the Center Court roof were startled and he didn't stop there incompetent and BL mind he shouts at the Umpire this was a supernova of emotions a moment that has been replayed a million times this was the tennis equivalent of the moon landing you had to be there or at least watch it on TV fast forward some years and the fiery redhead has turned in his racket for diapers fatherhood it seems is the ultimate lesson in tennis suddenly instead of screaming at umpires he's cing at babies he swapped the drama of the court for the much calmer Waters of the commentary Booth no more you cannot be serious why outbursts just thoughtful analysis it's like watching a lion become a librarian but he still Drew in some criticism now and then for his tennis commentary in an interview with NPR they had asked him about the greatest tennis players and rather than just give Serena Williams the crown she deserves he goes and drops this bomb if she played the men's C she'd be like 700 in the world Serena wasn't about having any of Mack and R's crap basically she was telling him to cool his Jets and wish some other in the room wouldn't involve her after all can you imagine being knocked up and having to deal with that kind of stuff all done with poise and it is so ironic that Serena has talked so much about the differences between the men's and women's game so mackenro wasn't totally out of bounds but just the way he said it instead of dialing back and apologizing Mack androe doubled down and suggested that men and women play together what the heck I know crazy huh typo aside it is fun to think about but the physical differences are enormous I've got a solution Gail though cuz I know that you're friendly with Serena and I I think I at least until yesterday table right now I'm just waiting would you like to apologize uh no um but I I I the offer is this is because it seems in tennis unlike other sports that they're always asking about how women they always ask me how I would do for someone why is it this old bag John Macken how would he do against Serena why don't you combine just solve the problem I'm sure the men would be all for this the men and women play together that's a tricky one Serena is a legend of the game and commands respect Mack androe is always good for a headline or two Wimbledon was typical some would say for 2023 the super brat truly became guns blazing in some of the comments the man cracked more jokes than a sailor would have blushed at he ripped into umpires like they cost him a buck remember when he was trying to compare cricket and tennis in the middle of a jabir match and then threw in an inappropriate joke and followup during live commentary classic Johnny Mack baly wasn't too happy though but hey that's just fuel to the fire and of course his meltdown when jokovic got a point penalty absolutely fuming when one could almost feel the court shaking with one of his rants what a lot of smack coming from a former tennis player you might think all right but Johnny Mack carries around the credentials and results to be able to say such things first off the guy was a tennis genius his volleys were something to Marvel at his backhand was a work of art his court sense was uncanny he used to be able to read shots better than anybody in the world and oh by the way he was left-handed which gives you every advantage in the world you remember that epic match versus Borg at Wimbledon in 1980 the fourth set tie break was pure Madness mackenro saved like five match points it was one of the greatest tennis matches ever played and then of course he beat Borg at the US Open that same year that was a huge deal but there was more to him than simple Talent macenroe was taken to the court like electric energy he was a bit like a rock star and people seem to love or hate him and let's be honest he made tennis so exhilarating that we kind of secretly love to hate him just a bit he's been on all the big networks too ESPN CBS NBC USA and he does Wimbledon for the BBC One of the finest pieces from Johnny even to this day was the chip on his shoulder which still sees him through raking in criticism for embracing tennis commentary but at 65 he seems to be managing the backlash coming from left and right handling it like a true champ that's it for this video If you enjoyed the video then do check out the rest of our videos about other tennis icons