"Who was this curly-headed upstart, this nobody, to disturb the decorum?" - When John McEnroe was booed for the very first time at Wimbledon 1977

Although John McEnroe was known to be one of the biggest entertainers during his playing days, he was also berated by a large section of tennis fans for his on-court antics, much like Nick Kyrgios.

Arguably the most outspoken player in the history of the sport, McEnroe never shied away from venting his frustration at the match officials, his opponents, and the spectators. Similarly, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, who consulted 37 psychologists and psychiatrists for his anger issues, invited regular fines and suspensions for offenses like racquet abuse.

Nicknamed 'Superbrat', the American legend reached the semifinals in only his second Grand Slam appearance at the 1977 Wimbledon, a tournament that he entered as a qualifier.

In his book, 'You Cannot Be Serious,' the 64-year-old recalled the time he was booed for the first time in his career — during his quarterfinal clash against Australia's Phil Dent.

"I thought I had Dent figured out. I won the first set fairly handily, 6–4, but in the second set, he dug in, and I lost a tiebreaker," John McEnroe wote. "I was mad at myself and, if the truth be told, I was starting to feel a little nervous, deep down. I’ve never been a great come-from-behind player."

McEnroe reminisced on how, after losing the second set, he broke his racquet, which led to the crowd turning against him.

"When I get behind is when the doubts start to seep in. So as we were about to change sides after the tiebreaker, I put my Wilson Pro Staff racquet under my sneaker and tried to bend it until it broke. And that big, close-in, well-mannered English crowd booed me. 'Who was this curly-headed upstart, this petulant boy, this nobody, to disturb the decorum of Court One?'," he added.

The iconic player, who was just 18 at the time, stated that he was, however, only amused by the boos. He went on to win the match 6-4, 8-9, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 before losing to Jimmy Connors in the semifinals.

"It was the first time I’d ever been booed. I thought, 'That’s funny'. So instead of picking my racquet up, I kicked it along the grass as I walked toward my chair. The boos got louder. The English were quite upset with me, but I have to tell you, at that moment I mostly felt amused," he concluded.

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After John McEnroe, Carlos Alcaraz becomes second-fastest man to rack up 100 match wins

John McEnroe and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open

With a win over Tallon Griekspoor in the third round of the 2023 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Carlos Alcaraz became the second-fastest man after John McEnroe to win 100 tour-level matches.

The Spaniard achieved the feat in 132 matches, while McEnroe did it in 131 — a testament to just how good the American icon was in his early days. Andre Agassi (135) and Rafael Nadal (137) are third and fourth on the list, respectively.