Product Description

John McEnroe enjoyed tremendous success at all levels of tennis and owns 77 career singles titles, including seven Grand Slams. He joined the circuit in 1978 and it took him only three years to attain the No. 1 ranking. The 1980 Wimbledon final, between McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, is considered by many tennis experts to be the best match ever, a five-set thriller which McEnroe avenged the following year for his first Wimbledon title. In doubles, McEnroe is recognised as the best player of all time. He was ranked No. 1 for a record 257 weeks and captured a total of 74 titles, including eight Grand Slams. Still an active player, McEnroe is now a tennis commentator and broadcaster for the BBC and other national networks. This autobiography covers his amazing tennis career, marriage to movie star Tatum O'Neal and where arguably the greatest tennis player of all time goes from here.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18885 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Serious is McEnroe's enormously entertaining story of how a shock-haired kid from Queens grew up on the world stage. Who would have thought that John McEnroe would evolve from Grand Slamming superbrat into the most refreshingly candid and authoritative elder statesmen of tennis? He is still kicking over the statues, but with a hard-won wisdom to temper the explosiveness that characterised his oncourt personality.

This book, written in collaboration with James Kaplan, grew out of a New Yorker profile of McEnroe that the journalist wrote a couple of years ago, but for the most part reads like unadulterated SuperMac, unfiltered and straight from the source--who lest we forget was one of the greatest tennis players of the modern era, and a Wimbledon legend.

I don't get tired of such compliments. I feel proud of having earned them. And--I admit it--there's a part of me that's addicted to the attention. It's one reason--I'll also admit this--that I'm writing this book. It's not just to get attention, but to do some serious thinking about how much attention I need, and why I need it.

This openness is occasionally a mixed blessing--there's a touch of the Oprah's about some of his attempts at self-justification--but overall McEnroe "thinking out loud" is as hugely entertaining as you might expect. Forthright opinions on just about everything, from heyday rivalries with the likes of Borg and Conners--through his battles with the tennis establishment and the media (touching on his occasionally tempestuous private life)--to what's wrong with the game today. Ace.--Alex Hankin

Review
'An ace' - Sunday Express 'Frank and engrossing' - Daily Telegraph 'McEnroe emerges as a funny, wise and articulate raconteur, acutely aware of his faults' - The Times

About the Author
Born in Wiesbaden in Germany in 1959, this most American of sports stars was the No. 1 player in the world four times (1981-84) and some would say the best ever.

Customer Reviews

An honest look
I enjoyed this autobiography. I had initially approached it with some scepticism thinking it would just be a boring catalogue of long past achievements. It is a list of achievements but with the fresh and welcome spin of John McEnroe revealing his feelings and thought processes at each conquest and each low.

He reviews his past triumphs and failures from the perspective of the man he is today and gives an insight into his emotions at the time, and with transparent honesty, evaluates the merit or otherwise of those reactions and is admirably self-critical. He is also very truthful about his view of others and does not hide his likes and dislikes. However, he strives to be fair and always attempts to see things at least partially from the other point of view. It is obvious that this does not always come easily and somethings still grate with him, however, credit must be given for his gracious pursuit of balance and for leaving things unsaid, as required. He could so easily have launched into a vitriolic diatribe against all the injustices, perceived or otherwise, directed at him and used his book as a vehicle for revenge. Having said that, he pulls no punches but manages this without going over the top, unlike in some of the tennis matches he played during his career. It can also be seen that, reading between the lines, he looks back on some of the incidents with a quiet and nostalgic humour and this is appealing.

McEnroe comes over as an edgy, quick to anger guy, who is basically a decent, even likeable, man with a passion for his sport. His appeal for me comes from the memories of the fantastic entertainment he provided for all those years when he was at or near the top of his game. Now he informs and entertains through his precise and in-depth television commentary.

As with most books of this genre the layout is more or less chronological. However, sometimes the dates seem to jump around a bit and it is quite easy to lose track of the year being referenced, especially later on. Also in the latter parts of the book there is a tendency in places to over digress and this can lead to the passage wandering out of context. But these gripes aside, for anyone with the merest passing interest in tennis or John McEnroe, this book can be easily recommended.

Ace
One of the most fascinating, and at times disturbing, accounts of one of the most (in)famous tennis players of the Open era.

Whether you loved or hated the Super Brat, admired his skill,or despised his behaviour, this autobiography is a candid and reflective look by McEnroe over his life, with special focus on the past twenty five turbalent years in the public eye.
For all tennis fans, (even for those whose interest is only alight during a certain fortnight in June!)this book takes you into the mind of one of the greatest sporting icons of the 20th Century.

Natuarlly, like any autobiography, there are moments when the reader will raise an eyebrow at the occasional egotistical comment or assumption but these just add to the flavour that is J.P.M. If, like the majority of us mortals, you realise that the chances of ever being able to take McEnroe down to the pub for a drink are remote, this book is a good substitute! With its laid back style and cynical approach by the time you have finshed it you will be willing to buy the bloke a pint!!

much better than expected
I read this book as a genuinely like John McEnroe and think he comes across as intelligent and funny. I was half expecting the usual catalogue of wins, but I found this book to be honest and very engaging. I think it helped that I well remember the McEnroe era and the sometimes vitriolic competiveness between McEnroe, Connors, Nastasie, Borg et al. I'm not sure a younger reader would enjoy this book as much (alas). Fiona, aged 38 and a half.