"If I lose to Patrick, that’s it, I’m jumping off the Sears Tower"- When John McEnroe opened up on facing his brother Patrick McEnroe in a final

John McEnroe enjoyed a sensational tennis career throughout which he won seven Grand Slam singles titles, among other accolades.

The former World No. 1 faced some of the greatest players, including Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, and later, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

John McEnroe also faced his brother Patrick on a few occasions, the most notable of which came in the final of the 1991 Volvo Open in Chicago. The former came back from a set down to beat his sibling 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

McEnroe wrote about the clash in his book, "You Cannot be Serious", claiming that while he did not like beating his brother, he could not lose the final. The former World No. 1 stated that he would've jumped off Sears Tower (now known as Willis Tower) in Chicago if he had lost.

"A final was a different matter altogether. I thought, 'God, if I lose to Patrick, that’s it. I’m jumping off the Sears Tower.' I couldn’t lose to my little brother! Yet I felt bad about it, too. At that point I had won seventy-six tournaments, and Patrick hadn’t won any," McEnroe wrote.

"I wanted the best for him—but not at my expense. I really didn’t know how to feel. This time, I behaved myself. I remember feeling like I was going to explode, though—it was almost impossible for me to keep everything in. I was ready to have a meltdown," he added.

McEnroe added that a phone rang courtside when he was serving at match point. The former World No. 1 jokingly told his father that his mother was on the phone, with his brother responding by saying he would be back home soon.

"It was a well-played match, and he took the first set, 6–3. I won the second, 6–2, but the third was neck-and-neck until 3–3. Then I broke his serve. I was serving at match point when suddenly a phone rang at courtside," John McEnroe wrote.

"That was when, for one of the few times in my life, I actually said something funny. I looked at my father, who was courtside. 'Dad, Mom’s on the phone.' Everybody laughed. Patrick laughed. 'Tell her I’ll be home soon,' he said. He was right—I served out the match," he added.

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John McEnroe won each of his three matches against Patrick McEnroe

John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe during the 2021 Laver Cup

John McEnroe and Patrick McEnroe squared off thrice, with the former winning each of them. The 1991 Volvo Open final was the second meeting between the two, with their first encounter coming in the opening round of the 1985 Volvo Open. John McEnroe won the match 6-1, 6-2.

The final meeting between the two brothers came in the second round of the 1991 Swiss Indoors, with the former World No. 1 winning 6-2, 6-4. He went on to reach the final of the tournament before losing 7-6(4), 6-0, 6-3 to Jakob Hlasek.