John McEnroe: A Biography

ABOUT THE BOOK

It’s not quite being forced into solitary confinement, but playing tennis certainly has a tendency to make one feel lonely. Adding the invisible opponent of the mind to the contest can often manifest in the form of desperate (and sometimes violent) appeals directed at that which is tangible and might respond in some manner: line-judges might change a call, coaches might give helpful advice, $300 rackets might make a nice cracking noise, smacks to the face might wake the body up, primal screams might attract potential mates.


Nowhere is that yearning for (and subsequent inability to escape from) attention more evident than in the professional tennis career of John Patrick McEnroe Jr.


“Johnny Mac”, as he came to be known, at times dominated his sport of expertise, posting the best single season win-loss record of the Open Era in 1984 and eventually totaling seven Grand Slam singles titles, nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Zeke is currently a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is majoring in Comparative Literature. Like many children, he was born. Unfortunately, he was not born with the power of flight, and it was not until many years later that his parents were forgiven for their perceived lack of generosity. A few examples of his hobbies are: playing sports (particularly basketball and tennis), reading/writing (thus, my major and Hyperink application), playing Super Smash Brothers (N64 version), and creating alternate lists for games of Scattergories.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

McEnroe’s path to super-stardom actually started in Wiesbaden, West Germany, where he was born to Kay and John Patrick McEnroe Sr. His father was a part of the United States Air Force, and while stationed in Germany he and his wife welcomed their first born son to the world. There would be two more additions to the family, Mark (born in 1964) and Patrick (born in 1966).


Patrick himself had a knack for tennis; in fact, he had enough talent to eventually join his older brother in the ranks of the professionals. While his career was not as storied as John’s, Patrick did excel in doubles and by the time his career had finished won 16 championship titles.

One year after John’s birth, the family moved to Douglaston, Queens, New York. According to John Sr., by age two John Jr. had such tremendous hand-eye coordination that he could strike an incoming ball with a plastic bat. By eight he had dropped the bat and picked up the racket at nearby Douglaston Club.

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