"People said to me, 'You're a better commentator than you were a player', and I said, 'Don't give me that BS'" - When John McEnroe spoke about changing as a person

Turning pro in 1978, John McEnroe is counted among the legends of tennis for the impact he had on the tour, particularly during the 1980s.

The 63-year-old won seven Grand Slam titles, including three Wimbledon Championships and four US Open trophies, and was the World No. 1 for a massive 170 weeks. He was notorious for his on-court behavior, often seen shouting at the chair umpires, line judges, and his opponents. However, the American evolved over the years and changed as a person.

Speaking on the Empire Film Podcast earlier this year, McEnroe stated that his wife Patricia Smyth allowed him to be himself, which is a process that can take decades, according to the tennis legend.

"My present wife, who I've been with almost 28 years, I feel like she allowed me to be me, which I think is important," John McEnroe said. "This is a process. It takes years, decades to get to a stage where finally, you're starting to feel like, 'I'm allowing people to see more of me, the person I am and I'm feeling good about the effort I made to get there'."

McEnroe also mentioned how he used to get angry when people said he was a better commentator than a player. However, he eventually realized his mistake and instead, took it as a compliment.

"I remember people said to me, 'Hey, you're a better commentator than you were a player', and I'm like, 'Wait a minute! Don't give me that BS, that's baloney, that's bullsh*t. It took me years but I then realized that it was a great compliment. I was a pretty good player. So if I'm that good a commentator, take it as a compliment for god's sake," he added.

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"The sport goes on no matter what" - John McEnroe on Roger Federer and Serena Williams' retirements

John McEnroe (L) and Roger Federer at the 2022 Laver Cup

Roger Federer recently retired from professional tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup. During a press conference in London, John McEnroe shared his views on greats like Federer and Serena Williams retiring and the future of the sport. The 63-year-old praised the two legends but also emphasized that tennis will go on.

McEnroe mentioned that there was a new crop of amazing players who needed to be marketed in the proper way for the sport to grow.

"These two players are irreplaceable,” John McEnroe said. "I don’t think there is any question about that. The sport goes on no matter what, and we have witnessed that in every sport over time. The opportunity is there to market these young kids in a way that I don’t think we have successfully done before. Serena and Roger probably have more fans than anybody in tennis. "

He further added that tennis was entering an exciting phase where a big tournament had up to 10 players who could win.

"But, you know, there’s so many more players. I think tennis is becoming so much more entertaining because you’re seeing so many new people win. It’s really exciting that going into these big events there are 10 different people that could potentially win. Hopefully their fans stay in the sport, want to keep watching," he added.