‘Acting Like a Jerk’- John McEnroe Bluntly Explains How His Younger Self Wanted To ‘Throw’ Bjorn Borg off Due to His Composed Attitude

John McEnroe has one of the legendary tennis careers of all time. He was called a ‘Superbrat’ because of his on-court behavior. But that behavior didn’t come overnight. McEnroe revealed that the older players at that time used to throw him off the bridge, which made him angry more often on the court.

Björn Borg and John McEnroe’s rivalry made their games even more interesting. The coolness and serenity of his Swedish opponent during their matches admirably counterbalanced McEnroe’s aggressive on-court persona and fiery approach. McEnroe recently recounted a day when Borg gave him verbal encouragement.

Björn Borg’s life-changing advice to John McEnroe 

During an interview, McEnroe recalled that pivotal moment that led to a huge change in his career. In 1979, when he was playing against Björn Borg in New Orleans, seeing the Swedish champion so calm on the court made McEnroe furious.

McEnroe said, “I was acting like a j**k for the most part. And he finally motioned up to me and said, ‘Come to net,'” The 20-year-old anticipated that the more experienced player would verbally criticize him, but at that time instead of scolding, Borg wrapped his arm around him and told him to have fun. McEnroe initially believed his foe was trying to confuse him. But later, with time, he understood that Borg was correct.

Read more – “He Blew Me Off”: John McEnroe Was Totally Intimidated by Jimmy Connors in the Wimbledon 1977 Semifinals

At that time, Borg’s words changed the whole scene for McEnroe. He said, “It made me think, ‘Look, just go out and play and do your thing because that’s exciting enough and it’s going to be awesome,'” Since then, John has achieved everything that he wanted, he became the number one and changed the face of tennis for the younger generation.

McEnroe reveals his secret in his documentary

Earlier this year, McEnroe released his own sports documentary ‘McENROE’. In that, he is seen sharing his part of the stories. The documentary talks about the ups and downs faced by him in his professional life and his personal life. How he overcame the obstacles and became the world’s number one during his time. 

watch this story – When Billie Jean King slammed superbrat John McEnroe over his controversial Serena Williams statement

It’s not only a sports documentary, but it also has confessions related to his personal life. Apart from his wife Patty Smyth and children, tennis icons like Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, and Keith Richards brought the 80’s era of tennis back on screen. Notably, he also gave his voice to a Netflix series called Never have I Ever. 

For now, he is seen as a sports commentator for the ongoing US Open 2022 tournament.