’Go Out and Kick Some A**’- John McEnroe’s Dramatic Meltdown and Subsequent Bashing That Pete Sampras Got During a Crucial Davis Cup Encounter

John McEnroe was a player who wore his heart on his sleeves. Whatever came into his mind, he did and spoke. Be it on the court or off of it. The same thing happened in the Davis Cup 1992.

The former American player was leading the US team for the last time in the Davis Cup. He did not want to lose the trophy and went berserk with his words, as well as efforts to win it.

John McEnroe on claiming the Davis Cup in 1992

John McEnroe was leading the US in the Davis Cup and did not want to face a loss under any condition. The final was against Switzerland who had reached there for the first time. He said, “This was my final Davis Cup; I couldn’t go out on a loss–to the Swiss!” He started shouting at his players to bring their morale up.

He said, “By the time we went into the locker room for the ten-minute break, I was in some kind of altered state.”

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McEnroe added, “All my fear and anger and frustration and sorrow had built up to the point where smoke was practically coming out of my ears.” He screamed at his teammates, “We’re going to go out and kick some ass!”

How did the Davis Cup 1992 turn out?

The screaming and hyping up worked in the favor of the US team. He stated, “When Pete and I went back out, that was exactly what we did.” To increase the hype every time they won a point, Agassi and Courier shouted, “Answer the question!” McEnroe used to say this phrase at chair umpires sometimes.

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The team ended up lifting the trophy, making McEnroe’s last Davis Cup a memorable one. McEnroe had always been very passionate about the sport and even when he played his singles matches, he went with zeal and enthusiasm, even during team games. Next month’s Laver Cup once again will be a team event and we will again see McEnroe leading the Team World with the same energy.