"People are more like me and Jimmy Connors than Bjorn Borg" - When John McEnroe made a point about reserved tennis personalities like Pete Sampras

John McEnroe once shared his take on the role his fiery on-court conduct played in the tennis world. The American also made a point about Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras as he observed which type of personality audiences preferred.

Aside from all his tennis success, McEnroe was best known for his volatile on-court conduct during his legendary career. The American earned the nickname 'Superbrat' because of his frequent outbursts, which included getting into a heated confrontation with Jimmy Connors and offending the Wimbledon audience with his heated blowup. He offered his perspective on his behavior in a 2022 interview with The Week.

Given the attention his on-court behavior garnered, John McEnroe believed that most players could relate to outspoken personalities like him and Jimmy Connors rather than Bjorn Borg's calm demeanor. The seven-time Grand Slam champion held similar views about modern stars like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, saying they "seemed like unbelievably nice people" but arguing that it was difficult to not get emotional in a sport as frustrating as tennis.

"Rafael Nadal has claimed he’s never broken a racket in his life. Generally, I think people are, as far as tennis goes, more like me and Connors than Borg, who never showed any expression. It’s a very frustrating game that it’s hard not to get emotional about. I’d be, like, 'I’m gonna go practise and be like Borg for two hours,' and that would last, like, five minutes. It just wasn’t in my DNA," John McEnroe said.

McEnroe also likened himself, Connors and Ilie Nastase to "inmates running the asylum," recounting that people attempted to suppress their personalities. The former World No. 1 made it clear that he disagreed with that perspective and pointed out that while Pete Sampras was a legend, he didn't have a charismatic personality that attracted spectators.

"It felt like the inmates were running the asylum—me and Connors and Ilie Nastase. And I think in the late 1980s they tried to stifle some of the personality, like that was bad for the game. Which I completely disagree with, by the way. Pete Sampras is one of the all-time great players, but he’s not going to light it up necessarily, personality-wise. In a one-on-one game, you need personality," he added.

Jimmy Connors has echoed John McEnroe's sentiments, asserting that they had been harshly criticized for their attitudes and considered detrimental for the sport only for spectators to end up "begging" for such personalities.

John McEnroe: "You sort of feed into this villain thing, maybe unbeknown to yourself, and then it becomes this out-of-control monster"

John McEnroe - Source: Getty

In the same interview, John McEnroe lifted the lid on the reasons behind his brash behavior, revealing that he was constantly surrounded by people "yelling and screaming" during his childhood in Queens. As such, he was shocked to encounter the polite and restrained atmosphere during his first Wimbledon campaign.

"I grew up in Queens in New York, and there were people yelling and screaming all the time. It was a loud dinner table. And it seemed normal. I was, like, 'Oh my God, these people are so polite. It’s so quiet here,'" John McEnroe said.

The American also asserted that leaning into his "villain" image had created a monster that spiraled beyond his control, as he was branded a brat despite his kind nature off the court.

"You sort of feed into this villain thing, maybe unbeknown to yourself, and then it becomes this out-of-control monster. People started to recognise me—'Are you that brat guy?'—and it completely changed my life. I was, like, 'They don’t understand me, I’m a nice guy.' But of course I wasn’t real nice on the court at times," he added.

John McEnroe has credited his growth and maturity in his later years to welcoming three children with his ex-wife Tatum O'Neal because he was determined to be a "good parent."