John McEnroe
John McEnroe embodies the American spirit. His relentless pursuit of perfection, combined with a technical mastery honed through years of competition, have made him a popular champion and a tennis legend.
An All-American and NCAA Champion as a freshman at Stanford University in 1978, he reached the semifinals of Wimbledon as an 18 year old amateur preparing to go to college and gave notice of greatness to come. He won his first Grand Slam singles title in 1979 when he won the first of four U.S. Open Championships. In 1981, he took the first of his three Wimbledon singles titles, becoming the youngest #1 ranked man in history of professional tennis. He continued his march toward greatness by holding the top ranking for the next four years. John McEnroe captured seven grand slam singles championships and with ten grand slam doubles championships is considered by most experts to be the greatest doubles player in the history of the game.
While his outstanding contributions to the sport of tennis are known internationally, to whatever extent formal validation was needed, it was put in place during the summer of 1999. In August, John was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, taking his place among the immortals of the sport. In September during the United States Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, the United States Tennis Association announced John's selection as the thirty-seventh Captain of the United States Davis Cup Team for the 2000 campaign.
With more than 150 singles and doubles titles to date, John has compiled an unparalleled record of achievement and raised the level of the game itself. One of his proudest achievements was leading the USA to five Davis Cup titles. In fact, he holds the record for the most U.S Davis Cup wins in singles (41) and in singles and doubles combined (59). But if competing on the court is John's passion, it is by no mean his only interest. John's knowledge of the game and magnetic personality have made him an instant hit as a network television commentator. He now offers his insights and unique style for a variety of television networks, including CBA, NBC, USA, and the BBC, and he has also commentated in the past for EuroSport and Australia's Channel 7. John recently expanded his on-camera work to extend beyond the realm of sports as host for the ABC-TV primetime reality game show, "The Chair."
His busy schedule includes overseeing The John McEnroe Gallery in the Soho area of New York City, where he showcases the work of contemporary artists. John has founded and is actively involved in the John McEnroe Foundation, and organization established to distribute grants and pledges to a wide variety of charitable organizations. An accomplishment guitarist, John has led The Johnny Smyth Band in a series of concerts throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For the past two decades, John has served as a spokesman for some of the world's most recognizable brand names.
Still playing with his trademark intensity, John competes in the Champions Tour as well as tournaments and special events in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Since his 1995 Champions Tour debut, he has won 33 singles titles and three doubles titles.
While his exploits have made "Mac" an international celebrity, to Kevin, Sean, Emily, Anna, Ava and Ruby, he's still just "Dad." A concerned and loving parent and role model, John was the recipient of the 1996 National Father of the Year Award from the National Fathers Day Council.
For the part two decades, John McEnroe has set the standard for excellence both on and off the court.
