Despite claiming many laurels, John McEnroe had a turbulent tennis career. His career can be divided into two phases. Early on in his career, he was a dominant force, winning several Grand Slam titles. However, he had a forgettable second half of his career where he failed to win any Grand Slam singles title.

His last of seven Grand Slam titles came at the US Open in 1984, where he defeated Ivan Lendl in the summit clash to win the US Open crown. However, since then, he failed to win any major title in around seven years. That period was accompanied by a turbulent relationship with his father.

John McEnroe once sacked his father as his agent

When McEnroe’s career was on a downtrend in 1986, he fired his alcoholic father, John McEnroe Sr. as his agent. However, his father took his son’s decision ‘terribly’. Subsequently, McEnroe could never replicate his best, which saw him become the best player in the world. Talking about their split, McEnroe said, “It was like I had stabbed him [McEnroe Sr.] in the back.”

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McEnroe ended his singles career in 1992. However, he returned to play doubles before finally calling it quits in 2006.

McEnroe backs Novak Djokovic

Recently, the American legend voiced support for Djokovic, calling for the Serb to be allowed to participate in the US Open. The Serbian faces the possibility of missing the tournament owing to his vaccination status.

“He is one of the greatest tennis players in history, he takes precautions for his body and it is frustrating to see that a person like him cannot enter our country,” McEnroe said.

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If the former World Number 1 misses the US Open, he’ll face a major blow to his ATP ranking as he has to defend 1200 ranking points at the tournament.