The USTA made a great move in hiring Patrick McEnroe to serve in the newly created General Manager position; he will be responsible for player development in the country. It would be nearly impossible to have found a candidate with as much universal respect as McEnroe. He embodies the highest standard of character and is no pushover. The players respect him, coaches admire him, administrators can relate to him (or, at least, he to them!), and the media realizes that he has become “one of them” as well.
A few years ago when I was serving as the President of the US Professional Tennis Association’s Eastern Division, I asked Patrick to speak at a coaches’ conference. His wife had a performance the same evening, and getting from Manhattan out to the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows and back to the city for her show was going to be challenging due to traffic. He never wavered. He charmed and challenged all the attendees and set a strong tone of expectations for American teaching professionals. Knowing that the event had a limited budget, Patrick donated his time. Everyone in tennis seems to have similarly positive experiences with Patrick. With this appointment, he continues his ascendancy as one of the true leaders of our sport. I can attest that he “thinks globally, but acts locally.”
I have been thinking of Patrick’s oldest brother, John, lately as his career relates to the constant Federer Debates. By the end of 1984, John McEnroe was being referred to as the greatest player ever by former champions such as Rod Laver, Jack Kramer, and Don Budge. That season, he lost a mere three matches, and, like Federer in 2006, seemed in a class of his own. By then, McEnroe had eclipsed Bjorn Borg, and proved to be a superior talent to Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl. At 25 years old, he won his eighth major title at the 1984 US Open. Recall that in that era, the top ranking players did not enter the Australian Open as a matter of course, so McEnroe was generally competing in three majors each year (the Masters and WCT Finals would have been considered “bigger” tournaments to win from 1978-85, at least).
By almost any measure, McEnroe’s 1985 season was also brilliant. He won 72 matches and lost just nine. He took eight singles titles. However, he tweaked his hamstring, which slowed him down by perhaps a half-step. He had begun an intense relationship with his future wife Tatum O’Neal. He no longer seemed to be the best mover in the sport. His focus was less myopic. He lost in the second week of each of the four majors that season.
After that season, John McEnroe stayed at the top echelon of the sport but he was never again a serious contender for the major crowns, and his efforts to regain his #1 ranking through the years were frustratingly futile. Others had caught up to him, and they would soon sprint past him. The hunter became the hunted, and the hunted certainly resented that role. The moral of that story: enjoy Roger Federer while he lasts. It might be a minor injury that compromises his sublime movement. It might be an off-court situation that divides his attention. It might be that the next generation simply improves sufficiently to displace the mighty Federer. In sports, these changes can happen pretty quickly.
If Serena Williams is fully engaged with her tennis, and is feeling healthy, can Justine Henin beat her? Maybe on clay. The quarterfinal result from Key Biscayne was a pretty wicked taming of the world’s #1 ranked woman. They are the two best players of their generation, so their matches are fascinating.
There are still some single-session tickets available for the juicy Davis Cup quarterfinal between the US and France in Winston-Salem, NC. The French team is deep and a threat to win any of the five rubbers. Team USA is, of course, looking to become the first back-to-back champions in a decade.
Enjoy the business end of the Sony Ericsson down in Key Biscayne…
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