(Note: to learn more about McEnroe’s African Safari from Dec. 1-8, click here: https://insiderexpeditions.com/safari-inside-tennis/)
Bill Simons
Since ending his ATP career, John McEnroe has gone on to be arguably the best senior player in history, the most prominent broadcaster in the world and a vastly successful author. He has met with Nelson Mandela, played at Buckingham Palace and coached the US Davis Cup team in Zimbabwe.
Of late, he’s been the hilarious narrator of the Netflix hit, “Never Have I Ever.” He played a million-dollar pickleball exhibition, rocked out in front of a grooving crowd in Indian Wells, and was a hit on court in Paris.
So, naturally, on Father’s Day, he became the first ever pro athlete to deliver Stanford’s commencement address. (Take that, Tiger, John Elway and Andrew Luck!)
Incredibly, he used his copyrighted phrase, “You cannot be serious!” just once. Sure, Mac did look downright odd and out of place in Stanford’s radically traditional cap and gown. But he soon got into gear. He noted his family’s deep history with the school: “We bleed Cardinal red through and through.” He thanked his college coach Dick Gould, applauded his hands-off approach and recalled that Gould “gave me great advice, but none of it was about tennis.”
Of course, McEnroe is nothing if not edgy, funny, combative and a tad self-serving. He told the appreciative graduates, “I got the invite to be your commencement speaker. While I’m busy figuring out my flights to San Jose, my youngest daughter tells me she was rejected by Stanford Law School! She says, ‘Dad, you’re not going to do that speech, are you? They rejected me. They [also] rejected my cousin – your nephew – and every other person you’ve ever written a recommendation letter for. Dad, you cannot be serious!’”
Mac added, “But don’t worry – she got into NYU. So she gets to live in the greatest city in the world, instead of slumming it here in Palo Alto.”
McEnroe recalled that starting when he was a kid his dad began to pressure him to become a tennis star. Young Mac pushed back, “C’mon, Dad, I’m only 12!”
John conceded that during his career, “I was not very empathetic to others, and that probably was my biggest flaw. I was wired to win and never let up, not even for a second…I couldn’t enjoy the moment, and worse yet, I was often insensitive…I had that edge about me…not a great way to live.”
Fortunately, he met the love of his life, built a family, got into music and art and glowed as he spoke of taking guitar lessons from Eddie Van Halen. Then he confided, “In my lifetime, I’ve seen about 37 therapists. And not all of them were court appointed. Let’s just say I had a few issues to work out…but I’m not alone.”
John mused on his short-lived (7 wins, 7 losses) rivalry with Bjorn Borg: “The lesson here is that you don’t have to win to be part of something that’s truly magical.
“A few years after our famous Wimbledon final, Bjorn quit tennis. It was devastating…In the mid-80s, if you were in my path, I would destroy you…But I wasn’t truly happy. Why? Because being the best in the world wasn’t as good as playing with someone who pushed you to greatness. Which is why I begged my biggest rival to come back.”
John told the throng, “When a ball is coming at you, you have a split second to decide how to return it…Sometimes you win and sometimes it’s an endless rally [and] you lose. But you take your best shot and keep finding the courage to step on the court…Measure your success by how much you evolve, not necessarily how much you win. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. And for Christ’s sake, have the balls to say what you feel.”
John Patrick McEnroe got a standing ovation.
