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" I'd like to think I could have and should have won more, but that's not the point. And I was at the point where I was playing great tennis in the mid 80s - the type of tennis people hadn't seen before - and I was very proud of that. "

John McEnroe

Great

Tennis

Proud

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" The only thing 'championship' about Wimbledon is its prestige. "

" One of the things I respected about Connors was that one second he would be spewing a four-letter word, the next second he would do something that had people falling off the aisles. Yet he never seemed to lose his concentration. "

" With commentating, I've had a chance to show the humorous side of my personality that I didn't use on the court. It's fun, and I don't take myself too seriously. I have good broadcast teams with me, but I'm not a huge stats guy. I think they post the numbers too quickly, and I'd rather let the match play out a bit first. "

" I'd love to see all the guys play their best because I think it's better for tennis. "

" Do you have any problems, other than that you're unemployed, a moron, and a dork? "

" When I came on the tour, I thought, 'Why don't they treat tennis players the same way they look at football players?' Because I've got news for you: when they are on the pitch, they are not saying, 'Hello, how are you?' out there. "

" You're asking too much of the women. They shouldn't be playing as many events as men. If tennis is best served by women playing events with men, so be it. "

" This taught me a lesson, but I'm not quite sure what it is. "

John McEnroe

Sure

Quite

" I was always fighting the establishment, trying to run through brick walls. "

" Well I think that's probably one of a few, where I grew up in the City of New York, it's got a lot of energy, my parents are Irish-American so there was a bit of yelling going on in my house but it seemed normal. "

" I had a similar year back in 1984 when I felt like I couldn't lose. "

" Sitting there clapping and smiling... it's difficult. You're like, 'Don't worry about it, you just double faulted, you just played a really dumb point. Keep positive.' Then more clapping. That would annoy me as a player. "

" I was always taught that you needed to be intense and never lose your focus. "

" I didn't get along with most of the players I played against, but the one guy I did get along with was my greatest rival, so it can be done. "

" There's always a concern when you play the week before a major. That's not the easiest time for a scheduler or a promoter, I would think. "

" What is the single most important quality in a tennis champion? I would have to say desire, staying in there and winning matches when you are not playing that well. "

" When I walk out there on court, I become a maniac... Something comes over me, man. "

" I would have thought that a woman would have become president before a black man. "

" I am finicky about making sure my sneakers are pretty tight. It is almost like a superstition for me. "

John McEnroe

Almost

I Am

" I can barely remember what I was like 36 years ago when I was 21 years old. "

John McEnroe

Years

Remember

" Why don't they go back to wood racquets? Then we would see the best tennis to be played. "

" The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose. Life is a learning process and you have to try to learn what's best for you. Let me tell you, life is not fun when you're banging your head against a brick wall all the time. "

" I am someone who gets pretty worked up. "

John McEnroe

Who

" I don't think enough players channel the energy of the crowd. If it's done properly, and you don't let anger overwhelm and distract you, it's like a shot of adrenaline in the arm, and it gets the crowd pumped up. "

" It's only human nature to want to know what you can do on your own or with someone else. "

" In general, people are administered drugs too readily. "

" I thought doubles was a good way for me to practice and get some reps in - I didn't like to train in the gym as much as players these days. "

John McEnroe

Good

Thought

" I'm generally happy, although my kids and wife may sometimes argue with that. "

" The best way I knew how was to give 110% and want it more than them, and walk on the court and every moment of the match feel like it was the end of the world, in a sense. So that worked for me in a lot of ways. There were times that it hurt me, but for the most part, it helped me. "

" If you're out there and things are going badly, are you going to cry or break down? "