The Open Era
United States · born Wiesbaden, West Germany, 1959 · left-handed · three times Wimbledon champion
All playersBack to the rankings
3
Wimbledon singles titles, 1981, 1983, 1984
5
Wimbledon doubles titles, 1979 to 1992
4
Queen's Club singles titles
82-3
Match record in 1984, the Open Era's best
18-16
Fourth-set tiebreak, 1980 final
Born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, in 1959, McEnroe reached the Wimbledon semi-finals as an 18-year-old qualifier in 1977. He turned professional the following year and won seven major singles titles: Wimbledon in 1981, 1983 and 1984, and the US Open four times. He finished four years running as world No. 1, from 1981 to 1984, and held the top ranking for 170 weeks in singles and 269 in doubles. His 1984 season of 82 wins and three losses is still the best of the Open Era by winning percentage, and he helped the United States to five Davis Cup titles between 1978 and 1992.
| Major singles titles | 3: Wimbledon (1981, 1983, 1984) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 2: Wimbledon 1980, Wimbledon 1982 |
| Other grass singles titles | 5: Queen's 4 (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984); Brisbane (1980) |
| Major doubles titles | 5 doubles (Wimbledon 5) |
| Other grass doubles titles | 2: Brisbane (1980); Queen's (1982) |
| Wimbledon doubles | 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984 with Peter Fleming; 1992 with Michael Stich |
| Finals to remember | 1983: beat Chris Lewis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. 1984: beat Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 80 minutes, with four unforced errors |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Men's doubles | with Peter Fleming |
| 1981 | Men's doubles | with Peter Fleming |
| 1981 | Men's singles | |
| 1983 | Men's doubles | with Peter Fleming |
| 1983 | Men's singles | |
| 1984 | Men's doubles | with Peter Fleming |
| 1984 | Men's singles | |
| 1992 | Men's doubles | with Michael Stich |
| Queen's Club | ||
| 1979 | Men's singles | |
| 1980 | Men's singles | |
| 1981 | Men's singles | |
| 1982 | Men's doubles | with Peter Rennert |
| 1984 | Men's singles | |
| South Pacific Classic | ||
| 1980 | Men's doubles | with Matt Mitchell |
| 1980 | Men's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"Who was this curly-headed upstart, this petulant boy, this nobody, to disturb the decorum of Court One?"
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1977 · Court One
An 18-year-old qualifier, he lost a second-set tiebreak to Phil Dent in the quarter-final, put his racquet under his shoe and tried to bend it until it broke, then kicked it across the grass to his chair. It was the first time he was booed. He won in five sets and reached the semi-final.
Source: Soap CentralWimbledon 1981 · First round
A call against him in the first round against Tom Gullikson produced the line that followed him for life. He called the umpire, Edward James, "the absolute pits of the world", took a warning and a point penalty, and was fined $1,500. He won 7-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Source: Tennis MajorsWimbledon 1981 · After the final
He beat Borg in the final, and the All England Club broke with custom by not making the new champion an honorary member. McEnroe stayed away from the Champions' Dinner, saying he wanted to spend the evening with his family and friends. The membership came later. Fred Perry found his tie on the back of a chair.
Source: Tennis MajorsStockholm 1984
Questioning a call, he demanded "Answer my question! The question, jerk!" and swung his racquet into a juice cart. The 21-day suspension that followed cost him the Wembley event, in the year he lost only three matches.
Source: WikipediaMelbourne 1990
In the fourth round of the Australian Open against Mikael Pernfors he was defaulted for swearing at officials and fined $6,500.
Source: WikipediaOff duty
Ian Barnes of the Daily Express named him SuperBrat. Away from tennis he sang and played guitar with The Johnny Smyth Band until 1997, the year he married the singer Patty Smyth. He called his autobiography You Cannot Be Serious.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
Join freePage updated 3 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
