Original subtitles

Greatness...

It's a combination of things.

You look back and you say, "Well...

someone gave me an ability to do something

better than others."

You have to recognize that...

and put yourself on the line...

Shut up!

...especially when you're out there by yourself...

and I didn't do a good enough job of that.

In fact, I did a shitty job of it.

I'm the greatest player that's ever played.

At this point,

why does it not feel that amazing?

It felt like I was doomed.

He's supposed to be John McEnroe.

And if that on occasion

is going to rile somebody or him or me,

well, that's the way it is.

I'm always gonna fight

for what I think's right.

That's the way I was brought up.

I think John is the sort of boy

who can speak up for himself and I like this.

You doing your job umpire?

And I don't think the docile

kid is ever gonna be the champion.

Nice guys don't win at this game.

It's a sport for killers.

He's on the court playing to win.

Answer my question!

The question, jerk!

You're pathetic, do you know that?

Improved by Sailor420 Hope you enjoy the show

Improved by Sailor420

Hope you enjoy the show

I don't ever remember not being able to play tennis.

I only remember knowing how to play.

You're always thinking

what's the other guy thinking?

'Cause you wanna get in his head

and sort of blow it all up.

Get him doubting himself

then you're trying to find a way in

to find his weaknesses

and he's trying to find that same thing with you and...

you're probing and you're looking for an edge.

And you sort of do that in life also.

I mean, I think tennis...

it's a pretty true microcosm of life,

ultimately, if you can handle it.

People think they know him

and they don't know him.

One time, his mom handed me a piece of paper

and it was John's report card from first or second grade.

"John is too hard on himself."

John wasn't satisfied with his A minus...

and she said, "Look...

this is how he's always been."

If you believe in things happening

for a reason...

I was meant to play tennis.

When I first started to play at my local club,

which was a block from my house,

I didn't want to be a tennis player.

It didn't seem to be that cool

until all of a sudden

there was a big, abrupt change.

Tennis is the country's fastest growing sport,

indoors or out, night or day,

Americans have adopted tennis as a national pastime.

It seemed like a phenomenal time.

This thing is exploding and we got these characters.

My name is Vitas Gerulaitis.

That was a goddamn foot over the fucking line!

Personality...

Ille Nastase,

the least loved tennis player in the world.

The fact is that you're a vulgar man...

Jimmy Connors, the King of tennis.

Typical arrogant, petulant...

When a player masturbates a racquet on the court,

that's not sitting in a church on Sunday.

Bjorn Borg has the electric appeal

of a modern rock star.

These are borderline idols.

I thought it was awesome.

What do you want with these guys?

I mean, you fucking guys

are grabbing the shit out of people.

Why is this behavior allowed to go on?

It's because tennis has become big business.

And that's it.

Sweden's national hero, Bjorn Borg,

has won Wimbledon

at the age of 20 years and 27 days.

Bjorn Borg...

I thought he was amazing.

Just the aura of him.

The way he played, the way he looked,

the way he acted.

Oh, yeah.

He was like a Viking God.

When I saw these girls screaming

outside the locker room...

It was like the closest thing I'd ever seen to

when The Beatles came to the States.

It was like Borg-mania.

And I'm thinking, in tennis?

This guy is the coolest guy in the world to me.

Oh, my God!

I wanna be a tennis player.

I thought Douglaston was terrible.

It got way better, way better, after I went to Wimbledon.

That changed my life.

One of the biggest and more pleasant surprises

of the first week of Wimbledon has been the performance

of 18-year-old John McEnroe from New York City.

John, how does it feel being in the quarter finals

at Wimbledon?

Well, I wasn't even thinking about winning any rounds here.

I was just--I played the qualifying in Roehampton

and I, uh--I just was hoping

to get in to the tournament and do the best I can.

And now I'm in the quarters,

I don't know what to think at this point.

Greatness comes in potential

and that is God given.

In '77, Mary Carillo at Wimbledon

ran up to me and she says,

"I want you to come and see this guy, John McEnroe.

What do you think? What do you think?"

I looked at his body and I thought,

"God, he doesn't have a lot of muscle.

But his timing and his variety of shots,

whoa!"

Oh, my word!

Who is this kid?

- Fault! - Oh, no! Oh, come on!

My patience was very thin

especially when I was younger.

You're quite sure?

- Seven all. - Oh!

The ball was so far in.

- You see it in? - Mister McEnroe...

The culture shock was the way everyone acted.

They were so proper.

Whether he has a right

to make such a fuss is debatable.

It was like an alien country to me.

- Yeah! - He's done it!

England's Wimbledon tennis tournament

has an upset hero in its hundredth year.

He's 18-year-old, John McEnroe of New York

who became Wimbledon's first player

to come through the qualifying competition

to reach the Men's Semifinals.

I'm in the semis and all of a sudden

I'm with Gerulaitis, Borg, and Connors.

I'm like, "What?

Are you kidding me, I'm gonna be around these guys?

How did this happen?"

I was petrified when I played Connors.

My legs were shaking.

"No, sir, like Mr. Connors, nice to meet you."

And he just blew me off completely.

Why is this guy such an asshole?

He won't even acknowledge my existence.

Treating me like absolute shit.

He probably saw

that I was gonna be an obstacle for him.

But he's one of the greatest competitors ever.

No question.

Game, set, match to Connors.

The effort that he gave,

the intensity...

I wanna try to get to that.

Mr. McEnroe, you started your son playing tennis.

Did you expect it to end up this way?

Well, we joined this little club

just a few minutes from where we live at home.

I beat John consistently from eight until he was ten.

- And that was the end of it? - That was the end of it.

My dad and John were very similar...

in a lot of ways.

Very intense,

very driven.

Both of them lash out.

He was ambitious, you know, he came from nothing, um,

so he was incredibly smart

and graduated from college and from law school early.

We weren't poor, obviously,

but we weren't, you know,

living in a mansion and taking trips in the summer.

We came here to the club and played tennis.

There's no doubt that John being the first

got disciplined the most.

My mom used to love to tell the story that

when my dad came home from Law School and said,

"Look, Kay. I finished second.

Who finished first?"

John had a little bit of that.

That singular drive

is partly what made John great

and also part of what-- you know, maybe got in the way.

If you liked being around perfectionists,

this was the perfect family to be around.

When I was 12 and my dad was--

I felt like sort all over me about, you know,

"You can be the best in the 12 and unders!"

I'm like, "Dad, listen. Let's take it easy."

"You gotta be number one in your class, in your grades.

Whatever it is we want you to excel at it."

When you get a colorful personality

and a great player, it changes everything.

When you talk to one of the officials

and he says, "Stay away from that hot head McEnroe."

Say what are you gonna do about it?

Aren't you the umpire?

We understood those outbursts

and we didn't think they were bad.

You ask this guy! That ball was a foot out man!

We said keep it up.

From nearby Douglaston,

New York, John McEnroe.

It was incredible to go around the world

and make money and meet girls.

And I was working my way up the rankings.

Six singles and fourteen doubles titles

won him an astonishing $803,000

in just twelve months.

What was it like to see

your first born go out there?

He's still a kid, a teenager after all

and they say here's for the United States,

John McEnroe. What happens?

There's something special about this,

to us at least.

It's the Davis Cup and representing United States.

I know my parents supported me,

but at the same time, no matter what you do,

you gotta do more.

That's the harsh thing.

He was opinionated and my father was opinionated

so there was some high decibel conversations.

My father was also extremely smart

and thought he knew everything about everything.

And John certainly thought he knew everything about everything.

Congratulations. Good.

- How did it go? - Nice going.

- Thanks for coming. - Yeah.

- Nice going! - Oh, boy.

I hope the other ones goes as well.

He was certainly a character.

- Yeah. - That's right.

And we're hoping. Enjoy...

And then at the stage

that I turned pro became my manager.

Well, that's right, Sunday.

Well, what'll I do?

Like, will I move it to two out of three?

He had my back!

I mean, he was charging me by the hour!

- This is Stacey... - Oh, Stacey, how are you?

Hello, how are you? And you?

It took 24 hours to do her hair do--

she's on the Today Show or...

It took me an hour to do this.

You're handling his business affairs,

I understand.

Well, so far.

And I expect to remain that

but, uh, talking to the other agents

who tell me that it's a mistake

that I'm trying to do it myself.

Uh-huh.

It was the King against the kid.

McEnroe faced the man

many consider the World Champion of his game,

Jimmy Connors.

I always thought Connors had a pretty big mouth

for a little guy.

But the first time John ever beat him,

he just quit.

He had a way of playing to the crowd

that a lot of people don't appreciate

how full of it he was.

He's not even gonna give me the satisfaction

of letting me win this match?

Yeah, everybody, get down in front, shit.

This son of a bitch is gonna do this?

I did learn from him.

You gotta be a bit of a prick out there.

There is no one else on this planet like John.

He is a strange bird.

He is slightly, might be on the spectrum.

There's something in there.

He likes his routine,

he's super good in math,

very heightened senses.

He doesn't notice some things

that I would think would be obvious to notice.

But he has an incredible eye for art.

I would think that he's not that visual,

but he's very visual.

What makes a person great,

whatever they do,

is when their head, heart and guts

are totally integrated and in the moment.

John's a natural talent.

He's so intense,

and he's a perfectionist.

In his head, it's never good enough

and I feel exactly the same way!

It's never good enough!

He's different.

I wanna get in his head. How he thinks.

You have to take what your hardwiring is

and use it.

John is hyper,

he's antsy,

he was born with that DNA that's got the extra.

My style of play worked with my personality.

Put pressure on guys.

See if they fold.

Maneuver the ball not bludgeon it.

Finesse it and slingshot it back.

He can take the most powerful shot

and take the sting out of it,

like a shock absorber.

He would always try to go forward.

That's what great net players do.

We're always looking for the light.

What set John apart was his hand/eye coordination.

His ability to just hit the ball so early

and with very little swing.

I used to play a lot of chess

when I was young

and it makes you think strategically.

I see the court,

there's a hundred different squares

and each time I move lays out percentages.

That's gonna give me a 90% chance of winning this point.

It's like a computer going through your head.

Click and boom!

It's like a math equation.

I was good in math.

The physicality of it,

that adds to the tension,

that adds to the stress,

putting out so much in a match

brings out the best in you...

Oh, I say what a rally!

...and the worst in you.

Pressure's privilege...

and champions adapt.

New York was a crazy rough place...

but it was alive.

There were painters and artists

and music and coffee houses.

I loved the grit.

I miss the grit.

And you couldn't not be aware of John McEnroe.

They always show a clip on the news of him

like throwing his racquet, or yelling or something

so you'd see it in the newsstand

and you either loved him or hated him.

New York, it's where I'm from.

But it's also who I am.

Wimbledon is a tired old lady

giving you high tea and a well-manicured lawn.

The American Championship is Dolly Parton

giving you a hot dog and soda

out by the playground.

They're different and they should be.

The fans are crazy.

I'm telling you right now,

you play, or it's a game.

You have 30 seconds.

People were drunk and throwing stuff on the court

and the umpire couldn't make it through the match.

You're not talking to him,

you're supposed to be playing tennis.

It was just a zoo.

Everyone's screaming and yelling.

My dad said, "Forget about the umpires.

You know, you're better than them."

Game, set, match, McEnroe!

But he'd say like,

"Don't worry about these people!

You're better than them!"

So to me, that was totally normal.

I was ready.

Yeah!

It was time to win the US Open.

September the 9th, the concluding day

of the US Open.

John McEnroe and Vitas Gerulaitis

duel in the opening set.

I was playing Vitas.

Two kids from Queens playing in the Finals.

This is incredible!

Even though Vitas was an idol of his,

John didn't care.

He was gonna take him out and he did.

- Yeah! - That's it!

Game. Set to McEnroe!

Growing up,

I gotta someday win the US Open.

And then somehow that happens.

Afterwards he said to me,

"What are you doing later?"

And I knew that whatever he was doing

was a lot better than what I was gonna be doing.

Let's go out and party!

John wanted to be like Vitas.

He was peppy, he was social.

Everybody loved Vitas.

They rolled out the red carpet for him

wherever he went.

Studio 54, there'd be lines of hundreds of people.

He'd just walk right in.

He was four years older than me.

Had the long hair.

Charismatic. Girls loved him.

Was a great player.

How can you play the kind of tennis you play

and do all the high living night life they claim you do?

Well, it wouldn't be easy.

I'm this boring, shy, straight kid.

Slowly but surely being thrust into this other world

that was, like, beyond belief.

Everything about what he was representing,

you'd be crazy not to want to be like him.

A big reason I started to play guitar was him.

The reason I got into art and collecting

was because of him.

Well, then, who does he become best friends with?

Bjorn Borg.

Letting all those Things go

Three-time champ meets the four-time champ.

How you doing? Good to see you.

I don't like to be that exclusive.

But I don't like to go out to buy boats or cars.

I'm not that kind of guy.

Borg is a really private person.

He's very shy and he likes things calm around him.

But he was not calm.

He had fire in the belly as much as anybody.

That's it!

Even though he is only 23 years old,

he has won four consecutive Wimbledon tournaments.

He has won so many major tournaments

all over the world.

Many people saying that Bjorn Borg

may be the greatest tennis player ever.

Off the court,

we were more similar than people realize.

But on the court, we were total opposites.

Oh, Borg is out.

That's as much emotion as you'll ever see from Borg.

It's unheard of to see a person

say absolutely nothing zero on the court.

Oh, you gotta respect a guy like that.

How in God's name is he doing that?

He was unstoppable.

If I wanted to be the best in the world,

I gotta beat Bjorn Borg.

With Wimbledon starting on Monday,

British tennis fans will again have the chance

to see the player they love to hate.

John McEnroe earned himself the title of "SuperBrat"

in previous visits to this country.

I don't like him myself as it goes,

uh, 'cause just he's American.

He doesn't represent, uh, America.

He is a disgrace to everyone.

Are you worried at all about the reputation

you've gained over here?

People are writing more about your behavior

than your tennis perhaps sometimes.

Well, you're certainly asking me

more about my behavior than my tennis.

- But, uh-- - Do you think

it is justified over this weekend?

Do I think it's justified?

The criticism.

No, I don't.

I felt like I was being myself.

I didn't wanna be booed.

I wanted everyone to clap for me.

All right, just keep yourself under control.

Just go play.

And then boom,

everything would go out the window.

Don't do that.

Do not do that.

What are you, a stupid fucking moron?

What... I aced him.

No, no, no. The call came before

the ball was played.

He never even called it.

Well, no.

- Yes, he called-- - No, he never said anything.

Play a let, please.

Could I have the referee, please?

No, no. Play on.

Can I have the referee? I'd like to have the referee.

I was crazed...

Nervous energy flying all over the place.

Intensity, anger.

Mr. McEnroe,

you are getting a public warning.

Now please, play on.

Mentally, I became really good

at being able to compartmentalize to a degree.

If you watch other players in most sports,

if they go off the rails,

it's very difficult to pull it back in.

- How was that? - Game to McEnroe.

That was one of the things

that I did better than almost anyone else.

I'm 99% certain that John

had no idea when an outburst was coming.

Keep your mouth shut out here.

Referee, please.

But maybe it had been a part of him

for so long, that he knew how to deal with it.

Yeah!

My father has given me

some of my temper so he's to blame to some extent.

So now that's your reflection of your dad?

There's no way you can avoid it.

What have you done to cope

with John's temper on court?

Oh, everything you can possibly think of.

Essentially John is John and,

uh, tennis personalities are just like the rest of us.

They run a great, wide gamut.

John happens to be on one side of the coin...

and a fellow like Bjorn Borg is on the other.

Finally got to where I think

I should be and I'm playing the guy I wanna play.

Like an idol.

You're about to walk out on the greatest court

in tennis history.

Here I come.

Amidst those cheers, some boos.

McEnroe not the most popular of players.

The difference was pretty much everything.

He was more laid back. He would counterattack.

With me, I'm coming in.

You know, hell or high water, I'm coming.

All in. First point.

I started great.

That's it. That's the first set.

We really do have

the classic confrontation here.

The best server in the world against the best returner.

The best volleyer in the world

against the best passing shots.

And the most volatile player in the world

against the calmest.

Yes! Second set to Borg.

He's terribly intimidating to play

because he shows no emotion whatsoever.

That winner gives Borg the set of 6-3

and a lead of two sets to one.

I just was furious at myself.

You can't go out like this.

Quiet, please.

That fear of failure is in everybody.

- Come on! - Yes!

John McEnroe has snatched

the Championship away from Borg.

Just like that!

Quiet, please.

The tie break now comes into operation.

No Final has ever ended

on a tie break, but it might now.

This is the lingering death tiebreaker.

First to seven.

McEnroe serves the first point.

Oh, shot McEnroe!

May have pulled the shoulder out of the socket

stretching for that one!

John Patrick McEnroe Junior!

And that pass gives him set point.

You're getting bludgeoned emotionally.

Nine all, then ten all.

John is close to tears, his father can hardly look.

The calmest man in the place.

I gotta figure out a way to win this thing.

What guts this youngster

has from New York.

Neither one will relent.

A seventh set point.

There goes... this match

is dead even, in lingering death!

There will be a fifth set to come!

I was on such unbelievable high.

And he had to be on this lull.

This guy's gonna fold.

I got him.

Yes!

Within a couple of games.

Oh, no, I don't have him.

He acted like nothing happened.

These great Champions had this other gear

that I was unaware even existed.

Two more championship points.

He showed willingness to suffer

and be able to get through that type of pain.

It was a harsh lesson.

What are you willing to do in order to win it?

The Champion should handle the pressure very well.

The Champion should be able to be strong mentally.

You're by yourself out there.

Tennis is a very lonely sport.

It's always been and it's always gonna be.

You have to like that. I mean, when you walk on that court

it's only you.

And, uh, if you don't like that,

you're never gonna be successful.

I loved it. John loved it.

And we connected.

After the match, he became a different person

in the media's eyes.

I mean, they respected John so much more

from that particular moment.

He deserved that.

Number one is number one.

Simple as that.

To be the best player in the world.

That's what tennis player wants to do.

That's your goals in life.

He took me under his wing.

It evolved into a real friendship as well

as a great rivalry.

Bjorn inspired me to get better,

work harder, dig deeper,

there's no way I can break this guy down.

I gotta outplay the guy.

Tennis is an art.

We are artists.

We're performers.

That is our stage, like an actor going to a theater.

You're looking down

on the sold out stadium court

on this the final day of play

of the 1980 United States Open Championship.

Okay, this is what you've just been

claiming you're gonna learn from.

And here's your chance.

The artist wants to connect with people.

You lazy bum!

I wanna connect with you as a performer,

as a competitor.

First set then goes

to McEnroe.

As an artist, we shape time.

Also a real true artist makes others feel.

McEnroe has broken serve

and he leads two sets to love.

He grabs the hearts of people,

he just does.

You might not even like him.

But he makes you feel.

Game and third set, Borg 7-6.

To have Borg as a counterpoint...

not only does it elevate tennis,

they both got better.

Game and fourth set Borg 7-5.

I'd hate to go against Borg at this stage.

He hasn't lost a five setter since 1974.

I'm actually finally

playing the way I want to play.

This isn't normal.

This is extraordinary.

I felt connection.

Was a special feeling.

Fantastic play by John McEnroe!

It doesn't have to be that you have win everything...

Double match point.

... to be part of something that's magical.

That's what you dream about.

How much did you win in the US Open?

What was the prize money?

About $46,000.

Did that give you enough to go out and buy

that expensive--

This is eight dollars!

I got a sale on it so I figured I'd dress up

for the Today Show.

We're really appreciative of that.

We also want to tell you the guy coming on right

after you, is Bjorn Borg.

Do you have anything you want to say to him this morning?

Well, I'd first like to say thanks

for letting me win and second I'd like to say thanks

so I don't have to go to Australia

and I'd third like to say...

People have been telling us for years

that John was a marvelous talent.

I don't know that we ever really conjured

that it would be anything like it is.

He was always there, believing I could do it.

He was in the Air Force.

He worked a couple of jobs

and he went to Law School at night.

He was someone, you know, liked to have

a couple of drinks, but the good news

was that when he started drinking

he was not the angry drunk.

He was a happy one.

Which was great because then there's more

affection because there wasn't like

an overwhelming amount of affection.

It wasn't like I was constantly being hugged

and told how wonderful

a person I was.

We were raising what we thought

of as a solid citizen.

From early on in John's career,

it was different than just plain father and son.

It was legal advisor and client.

He was a great agent for me.

But I felt like there was something missing.

I'm not very empathetic.

That's my biggest flaw.

I'm gonna blame it on people when I grew up.

They said that you have to keep that intensity,

you have to be like never let in for a second.

And you've just got to stomp on their head.

Hey, John!

And you can't enjoy the moment.

And I hated that.

A lot of times when I was in the midst

of some meltdown,

it felt like I was thinking

a funny thing at first.

Excuse me?

That was a good but...

You can't be serious, man.

You cannot be serious!

That ball was on the line!

Chalk flew up!

It was clearly in!

How can you possibly call that out?

How many you gonna miss?

And I'd end up saying the asshole thing.

You guys are the absolute pits of the world, do you know that?

Which was really stupid.

I'm going to award a point

against you, Mr. McEnroe.

You just made the whole thing blow up.

And they can forget about last year.

We're not going to have a point taken away because this guy

is an incompetent fool, do you know that?

That's what he is.

That's what he is, right?

I'm back to square one.

Game, set and match to McEnroe.

Who's the player that you least

like umpiring?

McEnroe.

He didn't get along with the British mentality,

the establishment, if you will and he went berserk.

Oh, no! No!

In the UK, there's an unpleasant obsession

with class.

Where there is discord,

may we bring harmony.

He appealed to people because he was a badass

and people liked to see something kick off.

He was going through a tough time.

The media was after him.

The Solicitor General for Scotland

was reported to have called McEnroe's behavior

selfish, arrogant, vulgar, self-interested, and cheap.

Those were McEnroe's good points.

The Wimbledon press got

into a fracas into questions over McEnroe's personal life.

Don't point your finger at me, mister.

I was changing tennis.

This sport's not gonna be the upper class sport, man.

Useless fucking umpires in this place!

If I ever win this fucking tournament

I am never coming back.

What did I say, umpire? Tell me.

Please tell me. Please tell me!

McEnroe is two victories away from a possible

replay of last year's Wimbledon final against Borg.

The management of Wimbledon fine McEnroe $1,500

and threaten him with suspension

from the tournament.

Hey, McEnroe.

The way that they're putting me

through the wringer,

you feel like you're a piece of meat.

If you believe what you read

in the more enthusiastic British dailies,

John McEnroe is the main threat to decency

on this island.

The only way that it could get better

was if I won.

Game set and match to McEnroe.

You've used words like, "incompetent fool,

lousy line judges," do you stick with that?

The ones that were on the court today?

- Hmm. - Yeah.

You stay with it?

What do you want me to do, retract my statement?

John created a lot of controversy.

It was troubling to us,

but the idea that you could raise someone

and make them into a John McEnroe

is just nonsense.

That has to be there.

If you want to be number one,

you have to win Wimbledon, it's very simple.

If you say, okay, you can only win one major...

that's the one.

It is the ultimate for a tennis player.

I still had to prove I can win it.

And then I can really tell them to fuck themselves.

John McEnroe always thinks he can win.

Nice guys don't win in this game.

It's a sport for killers.

This is kill or be killed.

Game to McEnroe.

For millions of dollars.

Welcome to the machine

Where have you been?

It's all right...

That's what McEnroe is showing you.

I want it. I'm grabbing it.

It's mine. Try and stop me.

Welcome to the machine

Is he violence personified

on the tennis court?

He's a genius who worries people

because he's a reflection of the times we live in.

Harsh, violent times.

We can see in him, what society has done to us.

Life, as in tennis today,

you're either a winner, or a loser.

He got it! It's all over at 5.29!

McEnroe has taken the King's throne!

This incredible pressure I put on myself.

This burden.

That moment was worth it.

The glory of his singles victory at Wimbledon

is intertwined with the fuss over the Champions Dinner

at the end of the Wimbledon tournament.

One Wimbledon official is quoted as saying,

a place was saved through the meal for McEnroe

who never showed.

Gotta admit perhaps that I wasn't aware

of the tradition of the dinner that night.

You know, I thought like if actual friends

are gonna come over and we're gonna party, man,

and we're gonna have a great time...

or I'm gonna sit with a bunch of stuffed shirts

and sit there and dance with Martina Navratilova.

I think I'm gonna vote for the other one.

Get up next morning, walk out the door,

I'm like bleary-eyed, like, hung over.

Whoa! There's, like, ten paparazzi or God knows

how many people outside, I'm like, "What?"

Uh-oh.

This may have been a bigger deal than I thought.

My father said I'd be happy to say a few words.

And they said that if I didn't come

for the whole dinner,

that they respectfully rescinded

my invitation to come.

A week later, they called my parents to tell me

that I was not gonna be granted membership

at the club.

Big fucking deal.

You can't be a badass and not be rock 'n roll.

Watching him play tennis must have been like

watching a rock band.

You never knew what was gonna happen.

We wanna play the rock 'n roll national anthem

dedicated to Chuck Berry who wrote it,

this is "Johnny B Goode" to John McEnroe.

He would always come over to see me in London

because I always had pot and he was a pothead.

And I'd say, "Hey, what are you doing in town?"

and he'd say, "Uh, it's a little thing

called Wimbledon, you might have heard of it."

I was having the time of my life.

I don't remember a lot about the evenings

that I spent with Vitas.

You just spent time in a room with Keith Richards

and Ronnie Wood.

You want to have a hit on a joint?

Sure!

I'm tellin' you, man, that was unbelievable.

How many tennis players out there been like,

step out on court with John McEnroe

and Vitas Gerulaitis?

I was backstage with John somewhere.

I threw out the idea to him

that if you're used to working crowds,

you seem to have something in common,

even though you're doing actually something

totally different for that crowd.

You're giving and also receiving

on a different level.

Exchange of energy.

I'll tell you again, McEnroe!

John knows what I mean.

He can sense a crowd.

And also he did it with flair.

Who doesn't mind yelling at an umpire, man?

It's like, you know, yeah.

Tennis stars on the set. Yes.

Vitas Gerulaitis and John McEnroe,

we're gonna be talking with them after this short break.

These days, athletes are doing

performance enhancing drugs.

We were doing performance detracting drugs.

That's to me the difference.

You both play guitar, right?

Uh, yeah, that's right.

- Yeah he plays solid rhythm. - Solid rhythm.

Does it make sense? No.

If you're trying to be the best player that ever lived,

I mean, putting smoke in your mouths

- probably not the best thing. - Okay.

Rolling tape...

Hi, I'm John McEnroe.

You're watching MTV.

Music television.

The channel I've been waiting for.

Criticize me if you want for doing that

and saying he fucked up but don't sit there

and go, hey, he did cocaine or marijuana

therefore he won, bullshit!

More energy?

Hi!

I'm John McEnroe!

Here we go. Stay quiet please, folks!

You know, it's hardly like, yeah, man,

if you smoke some marijuana, it's good for you.

But maybe it's good so you could appreciate

your life a little more for a period of time.

Right, that was real nice, one more.

One more?

I, you know, I'll try it. I mean, I'd rather just do

the other, you know, leave it with the other one.

Oh, we can do another one,

you want to do another one?

Well, I don't really want to do another one either.

I think the first one looks good.

so I don't see any reason to do another one.

There is none. That's fine.

That's it. Okay. Thank you. That's it.

In all of sport, there is no greater pressure

on an athlete than that on the number one competitor

in an individual sport.

In men's tennis, the last decade,

that pressure has been focused on Bjorn Borg.

The cost is enormous.

You don't work out as a tennis player,

you know, you could become a male model, huh?

Everybody wants a piece of you,

you have to live with that.

Sometimes you just want to lock yourself in a room

and don't go out.

With all his past accomplishments

and domination, there is one crown

that has eluded Bjorn Borg.

The United States Open.

His desire for that title borders on obsession.

I'm in the Final again.

Playing John.

Going into that match,

I have death threats.

It's a terrible feeling.

That's all of the fame.

Everybody's after you.

I felt...

I'm done.

The prospect of another match

between the two top players on the world

generates excitement unmatched in tennis.

Got it.

Then I miss an easy point.

I'm steaming inside.

But I don't want to show that.

Oh, what a shot!

I've been playing for so many years.

I had enough of this game.

Game, set and match McEnroe!

Runner-up Bjorn Borg is truly a great champion,

we are sorry he is unable to be here

to receive his runner up award but--

You can't express the feelings you have

when someone who you're friends with

and is your greatest rival

has just walked out of the stadium.

That's the last major he ever played.

It was an absolute fucking tragedy.

Bjorn Borg announced today

that at age 26, he is retiring from tennis.

Bjorn Borg has played...

Bjorn Borg is expected to announce

that he has quit because he can no longer give

his sport 100%.

Well, he just doesn't want to face McEnroe

and the kid's coming up.

The five-time Wimbledon champion

no longer has the fighting spirit.

I knew deep inside that...

this was my last match.

I left the court and went through the kitchen.

Went to the car.

I was relieved.

I could have many more years in tennis

but for myself, I felt, uh,

I felt relief, I felt calm, I felt...

I did something good.

Uh, I was like, what,

by the way, what are you gonna do?

Except sit on your ass?

I'd say to him,

why the hell did you quit when you were 25?

Even if there is a lot of shit going on?

"Someday you'll understand," he'd say.

John said, you have to continue.

Then I said to John,

maybe one day you will understand.

Tennis is not everything in life.

I mean, you've got all of this drive

and this energy that is part of you,

where do you put that now?

John broke his spirit.

John was looking forward to playing

a lot of matches against Borg.

What a letdown at the Open to see the guy

go wheee, right out, that's it.

When you're working your way to the top,

it's easier and more fun than when you get there

and you're looking over your shoulder

and trying to stay there.

It felt sort of empty.

If you've never seen John McEnroe in person

play a game of tennis,

do yourself a favor. Give yourself a treat.

He is really something out there.

John McEnroe took the wheel

of a runaway steam roller

that is flattening all opposition at Wimbledon.

I felt like I could beat anybody.

All right.

Both hands in the air, John McEnroe.

1983 Wimbledon champion.

He's the best player in the world,

and the best player in the world has burdens

which no other player has.

Every week I pick up the paper

you're in Tokyo and then you're in Australia

and then you're in France and you're in Italy

and you're playing Davis Cup.

It is unbelievable the amount of travel.

Yeah, I've been on a plane for 30 hours,

I figured, you know, at least you guys

would leave me alone at this point.

I just don't think it was a very happy existence.

He's not out on the court

having a good time, he's out on the court

playing to win.

That's it!

I had the best year in the history of tennis

the men's side, in 1984.

Yes, you are number one!

I don't think anybody can dispute that.

I was number one in the world for four years.

I'm the greatest player that's ever played.

Why does it not feel that amazing?

A year would go by,

when you coming back?

I wanted him back.

I didn't even care if I went to number two in the world.

I'd rather have him back.

Pressure helped me succeed,

but made things tortuous at times.

Again, you've made a clear mistake

on break point, for God sakes.

Is that not a big enough point for you to screw up?

How much bigger a point can you screw it up with?

Answer my question.

The question, jerk!

Well, that's two different questions.

People could see that I was melting down

and losing it.

You're pathetic, do you know that?

But I do. Makes me sick!

I'm like a ghost.

In '84 he was invincible.

He hadn't lost a match the whole year.

He beat everybody like a drum.

He wins Paris that year,

people are starting to talk about him

as the greatest of all time.

In the first 12 days of the French...

rainy, cloudy. Just cold.

Until the Final.

The day before, I said,

all right I'm coming, I'm coming, um, let's--

we're gonna-- I'm coming for the party, you know?

Show up in Paris,

an hour or two before the match starts,

90 degrees.

It went from arctic to jungle

in half a day.

Not a cloud in the sky. Hot. Hot.

I don't like to look back very much.

That just tears you up.

Game and set to McEnroe.

He's up two sets 6-3, 6-2.

Any time I have a nightmare...

...it's right back to that match.

I'm hypersensitive to everything.

Especially on a tennis court.

Hey...

Lendl has fought back to win

the last two sets 6-4, 7-5.

I've been around the game long enough,

I can watch and I can see other players

that have two opponents.

Themselves and whoever they're playing.

- Are you afraid of him? - No.

So, don't do everything in his favor, okay?

Shut up!

I get up.

I look back.

I see myself.

I have nothing.

It felt like I was doomed.

My anxiety,

it hurt me.

There's something clearly wrong.

I gotta get away.

Tennis star John McEnroe

and the actress Tatum O'Neal have finally made

their love match official.

They married at a private ceremony

in New York State last night

just nine weeks after the birth of their son.

I didn't want to turn into a person

that had to just spend the rest of their life

like, winning at any cost.

I thought this was absolutely perfect.

You know, someone that got it.

That understood what it was like to go through

this microscope in a way at a young age.

He had taken that sabbatical from tennis.

Even the highest success wasn't really providing

the kind of happiness that he was hoping for.

She was used to being in the spotlight.

Kevin being on the cover of People

and it was like them two and their new son

and, I think that--

That's crazy to think of right now.

Isn't that wild?

They were superstars together.

He found true love.

It was both beautiful and painful.

It's a boy, we know it's a boy. Sean.

My mom was 23 or four with two kids.

That must have been a lot.

We were kids.

I thought we were adults.

Your job, and obligation,

and absolutely what I wanted,

was to be there for them and to make them feel loved.

I thought I could handle it all,

was all gonna be beautiful

and I was gonna be number one in the world again.

His life had been so compartmentalized,

he had everything in the right order

and the right percentages.

My mouth hurts.

And suddenly, he has this relationship

that enveloped everything.

Are we okay-- are we okay here?

It was like a tsunami.

The two of us together seemingly

was a lot more interesting than I realized

that we were gonna be.

That led to way more attention on my personal life

than my tennis.

The tabloids are rough.

Are they gonna stand outside your flat?

Yeah.

Yeah, that's the deal.

But John got all irritated and they just thrive on that.

The reporter found himself forced backwards

over a sofa claiming he'd been grabbed

by the throat resulting in a torn collar.

He went there with the intention of starting something

so I you know moved him to the side and then

suddenly it's now, I've assaulted the guy.

He's physically beat up.

I'm gonna go take a shit in there,

do you wanna take a picture of that?

Oh, no, no.

McEnroe spat at a photographer,

who promptly spat back.

It went from bad to worse.

Having to cut a deal with paparazzi

so that there's not as many around.

This would be the earliest exit

for John McEnroe ever in the US Open.

How do you assess

a year and a half on the comeback trail?

That it has been a dismal failure.

A bad nightmare.

Moaning John McEnroe was blasted

out of Wimbledon yesterday

and blamed everybody but himself.

What have I done?

I didn't bring Tatum with me.

What did I do to deserve what I got this year?

You didn't even laugh at that, John.

As their relationship became rockier,

he had more troubles on the court.

That Tatum period was really rough.

He went through some tough times.

I think he went through drugs.

Cocaine,

let's just say that it didn't help.

I have myself to blame for that,

I'm not gonna sit here and blame her for that.

A man with a London accent

rang a newspaper warning,

"Don't let John McEnroe go on court today

or he will be assassinated."

I can't get away from it.

How's the press going too far

for John McEnroe...

This morning's report were...

The plan was to get better.

Do you think for one second I wanted to get worse?

Never be the same player?

It's safe to say that wasn't a very good feeling.

Code violation, unsportsmanlike conduct,

warning, Mr. McEnroe.

I can't believe this!

It was absurd what I did to sabotage myself.

From the 37 psychologists and psychiatrists I've seen,

through court orders and my own free will,

never been able to figure that one out.

Oh, obviously your parents did something.

No.

That's not--I can't blame them for, uh--

if you think that's why I, like,

some lunatic on the court, that's not the case.

I choked, how's that? That's probably the top one.

That's the bottom line.

Maybe I showed some human frailty that people show

when times where you're like, how did that guy melt down?

One time he told me about his anger.

It's a lot easier to get angry

than it is to cry.

Andy Warhol had painted a painting of the two of them.

They were fighting and so I drew a moustache

on the Andy Warhol painting!

- No! - That's true, yeah.

And I remember the uproar and me

like putting all my stuff in a little backpack

and being like I'm out of here.

I'm five years old, I'm gonna hit it.

I'll catch you guys down the road.

There's times we could communicate,

but it's often times whereas can't even talk.

I don't think infidelity helps.

I believe that was both of us.

To me, that's like the beginning of the end.

Or the end of the end.

Couldn't you see anything?

That cost me the damn set,

because of that!

The set was over!

you!

It's quite embarrassing.

You know, it's something that, uh,

I hope I don't have to see too many more times.

Seeing that growing up was very confusing.

As a kid, it was strange to feel like

maybe you could be celebrated for being angry

and then realizing no, you can't.

Do me a favor, shove that mic

When your sons Sean and Kevin grow up

and see these scenes, what are you going to tell them?

That's something that, uh,

I've thought about quite often.

I haven't come up with, you know,

exactly what I will talk about but...

if they're like their father,

they'll learn from their mistakes.

Can you say that?

Can you say hello Grandpa and Grandma?

Is it tough to have your family

so involved in your career?

Sometimes do you wish you just had a father?

He put a great deal of pressure and perfectionism

upon himself.

And he expected the same in return.

And in his mind at least, he wasn't getting it.

Every time we talked, it was tennis, tennis, tennis.

And I became a father and I thought

wouldn't it be nice if I had like

more of a father-son relationship

with my father.

I can get any Tom, Dick or Harry to be my manager.

Hey, listen, you know, I'd--

I'm gonna try these other couple of people.

Because I wanna have a better relationship

with you off the court.

He didn't say anything, he looked at me

like he was in a state of shock.

Like, what?

It's actually the opposite of what you think, Dad,

it's actually because I love you,

not because I don't love you.

He didn't take that too well.

He took that terrible.

It was like I stabbed him in the back.

He didn't want to retire.

He lost his identity.

And it affected my mom and I was upset about that.

I resented that and makes you wonder

about knowing when to let it go.

I hadn't won a major in seven years.

Seemed like I was so close so often,

that's why I kept going back for more.

I just couldn't get it right.

You have to develop an edge to be great at something.

Go out on an island by yourself.

Do whatever it takes to win.

You always hear that.

You have to do whatever it takes to win at any cost.

Is it all worth it...

in the end?

Him and my mother were divorced

when I was six years old.

And there were times in that process, a long,

sort of ugly divorce, that, you know, you don't...

necessarily have your bearings

and I felt like there were times

that maybe he was frustrated that I sided with her.

My mother wasn't well at the time.

She had some addiction issues so I felt like I sort of

understood that and I just wanted to protect her

and then we would fight about that.

The worst thing I ever said to him

is one time he said, "At least I'm consistent,"

he was talking about my mom and he said,

"At least I'm consistent."

I said, "Consistently an asshole."

And I remember his face being really broken about it.

And I have a lot of regret and shame around saying that.

I don't think he'll ever regret

the time because of us...

and I think one of the saddest things for me is,

in terms of real true love,

my mom really never met anyone else.

John McEnroe?

He like John McEnroe?

My papa John.

Time has allowed for healing

and understanding

that my parents are human beings,

I can understand...

what he went through as well.

My kids saw me cry.

I didn't realize that I was so out of it

that I was allowing myself to be seen.

I took for granted they could just deal with it.

I wish I was more, uh...

had a better feeling of what they were feeling.

To sit here and dwell on tennis matches,

it doesn't feel like...

as big a deal, you know, as feeling, like,

"God, I fucked up, you know, with my kids,"

that's the worst feeling.

I was up at a charity event

in the Bay area.

Someone came into the locker room

right before I went on the court.

They said that Vitas was dead.

He was one of the best and most popular

tennis players of his time.

Forty-year-old Gerulaitis died

from carbon monoxide poisoning at the weekend.

I just went totally numb.

Can we get some room?

I was heading towards this potential...

cliff of some kind that...

hopefully I would have figured out

before I'd have done anything stupid.

It felt like a huge turning point in my life.

One of the finest

female vocalist in all of rock,

ladies and gentlemen Scandal with Patty Smyth.

I don't want to tame Your animal style

You won't be caged When they call the wild

Shootin' at the walls Of heartache

Bang, bang

I am the warrior

Well I am the warrior

And heart to heart You'll win

If you survive

The warrior

I met John on Christmas Day.

He was only like a year separated.

I was newly out of a pretty rough relationship

and I wasn't interested.

But I would try to figure out why is he so familiar to me?

I felt I knew him.

I could see him.

I was in a pretty lost state.

She happens to be someone

who's extremely good with people that are struggling.

That takes a special type of person.

The night Vitas passed away...

I called Patty up late.

Listen, can I come over?

John was driving, he asked if he could come over

and I was, like, it's late...

and then he told me about Vitas.

He didn't say, "I don't wanna be alone,"

he said...

I have a feeling about you and me.

What Patty allowed me to do was be myself.

I could be who I wanted to be.

It's nice to be able to feel, like,

you're a team, like,

you don't have that much in tennis.

It's your Pops. That's your popsicle.

I was raised by a single mom.

My father died when I was a kid.

I had no blueprint.

He was like "We are in this together

and it's you and me.

We're first."

It's good to get second chances.

You don't always get them.

And this time, it's all or nothing.

Love to me?

Love is um, hmm...

Love?

Well, there's so many kinds of love.

Love is showing up.

Love is showing up and you do...

you do what needs to be done.

You know, to take on his three kids,

I'm not sure that a lot of people

would have done that.

It was challenging,

I thought I could just mom them, you know,

into everything being okay.

Didn't quite work.

I don't know you just jump in the water

and you start swimming.

We're in Hawaii, and I'm gonna marry your dad

in a week and a day.

What do you think?

You're not a bastard any more, Anna.

John in a way is very straight

and very consistently there and present.

I grew up in a completely bohemian way.

Normal to me was the brave new world.

Like this is like, wow!

You know like people do this?

You know, they like do shit together

and they go to Parent/Teacher conference together

and their-- you know, like, it was all new.

Happy birthday to you!

Patty certainly caught me

at a time when I was lost.

And it's not like I'm perfect now,

it's not like I don't fuck up now, um,

and it's not like I couldn't have been

a better dad or any number of things.

But, at the same time, I feel like all in all

I think... I sort of veered into a much more of a direction

that allowed me to be me and be comfortable with myself

in my own skin more and appreciate like...

some people still know who you are and...

they say nice things

and it's okay to feel good about that.

You know, took me a while to let that sink in

and enjoy that

so I'm hoping someone's gonna say to me you know

something you're a really good guitar player.

If everyone in the room is happy and smiling

that's what brings him joy.

That may have been whether he liked it or not,

something he always wanted.

This quest for, like, this moment where you know

he could look around and be like,

"This is where I want to be."

- Oh, my God. - Casual rough.

That looks so good.

- I'm-- - Where's the damn

thousand island?

I couldn't tell!

Really gave you the turn, yeah.

- Yeah, me, too. - You wanna split it

as I end up doing often?

You always worry if you're too much like your dad.

Or not enough like him.

Whoa! Just slow down.

I can jump.

I wanna be more affectionate than my father.

For whatever reason, he wasn't capable of that.

But he was a good man at heart, I know that

and he did a lot of good things for me

so I try to just focus on that.

Okay.

You didn't say John senior, did you?

Do what?

You didn't say John senior, did you?

Aren't you not? I'm sorry, sir.

Did you-- did you say John senior?

- Yes. - No, I'm not senior,

- he's junior. - Oh,

I thought that's what you said I'm sorry.

- That's all right. - I'm sorry.

Life caught up to him.

It's just painful to watch that.

Hey, your dad's in the hospital.

You're just, what happened?

Oh, no, he just fell.

Never once said, "Look, I have a problem.

I drink too much." You know, wow, big surprise.

Go to rehab.

You gotta get it together.

I thought if there's one person in the world

that he'd listen to it'd be me.

But it proved to be incorrect.

He kept going up to see his father.

He was just in this bed.

He was at a hospice.

He was just hanging in there.

And I was sort of wishing like he would say like

you know something, I fucked up man near the end...

I don't know he just...

I don't know if he gave up. I don't know what happened.

This is my dad at the end sort of self-destructing.

This great man had had so much success.

I walked out of there and I was like

man, oh, man, I can't believe this,

this guy is just never gonna change.

I was like, "You're not gonna do this, man.

You got to pull it together, you know,

and just when you think he's gonna make it,

he didn't make it.

I didn't know that he kept going there.

He kept giving his father the chance.

John really wanted him to say I'm sorry.

And his father didn't say anything.

Well, I felt bad for my mom

because she had sort of been

through this torture chamber in a way

and, uh, she had watched him lose his identity

and semi disintegrate.

And the next thing you know, she's got stage four

stomach cancer.

I think the whole thing just it took so much out of her.

Which made me mad you know then I was mad

at my dad for a while so I...

that bothered me for--I mean it bothers me in a way but,

because I think she could have had ten more years

and then she had five months.

But they were together for 59 years and you know

50 of them were great.

The last 10 wasn't so good.

There, well, that's pretty good percentage.

That's about my winning percentage of my career.

Eighty three percent.

Certain things were never resolved.

But that doesn't mean he didn't love me.

The oldest get it the toughest as far as curfews, you know.

I'd look around and he would be in the den.

I'd think I'd be in the clear and then he'd be sitting

halfway up the stairs waiting for me.

Or sometimes in the living room.

You're very proud of us, right?

Of course, I'm proud.

That goes without saying.

Maybe it doesn't but listen, I mean that's part of the deal,

you're responsible for something,

you have to be not quite as selfish,

which is a good thing for me

because I was getting rather selfish in my young days,

maybe getting a little bit too, whoa,

too big for my breeches so,

I thought it would be an unbelievable--

it turned out to be a great thing for me personally,

that I was able to become and hopefully will remain

a father for many years, uh, for the rest of my life.

Yeah, let's hope so yeah,

let's hope you don't outlive every single one of us!

Yeah!

My daughters are saying their friends like,

"Does your dad yell all the time?"

That was so long ago.

But that's still how they see him.

I'll tell you what though, when he yells,

it's fucking scary!

When he first yelled at me, I like, oh, shit!

Like, "I'm out of here, dude" and he's like what?

Because he's over it. He just goes like, whaa!

And then he's like, fine and I'm like,

so it took a minute to get used to that.

Being a perfectionist isn't a good thing.

Because it's never being satisfied.

That First Grade report card,

he was beating himself up already.

He was six.

I wish in a way that I had been able to be with him

from the beginning.

This is so right!

I feel...

This is the thing that I've been thinking about

because I wanted to write a song about this.

I married a bad boy...

who turned out to be a really good man.

How about that?

John is one of the greats in tennis.

He could do anything with that tennis ball.

He had a lot of pressure from people around him.

And he wanted to be perfect.

Sometimes we talk about it, me and John.

We talk a lot about families, kids,

not too much about tennis.

It's more important for us to be happy in life.

He's got a very soft part of him.

I don't know if people see it that much.

But it's there, it's strong.

I'm not sure he knows

how much what he used to say

I hold dear.

Being somebody you can count on.

That is something that I like really cherish.

It's unfortunate that it took me so long.

I'm sorry I didn't listen more, when I was younger.

I didn't understand.

And just thank you for trying.

You know.

- I can't follow that. - No.

It's tricky to maneuver this word "love".

As you get older, it's opened me up

to being more easily say those types of things.

I think I'm open for pretty much anything at this point.

But I wanna be open for just going off in the sunset, too,

if it turns out that way and just living life.

I'm not at peace.

I don't think I'd wanna be at total peace.

I don't even know what that feels like.

Does that exist?

You never listen to A word that I said

You only seen me For the clothes that I wear

Or did the interest go So much deeper

It must have been The color of my hair

The Public Image

What you wanted was Never made clear

Behind the image was Ignorance and fear

You hide behind This public machine

You still follow Same old scheme

John McEnroe's impact on tennis has been incredible.

Without a doubt one of the most charismatic

players in the history of our sport

and one of the best players.

Two sides to every story

Somebody had to stop me

I'm not the same As when I began

I will not be treated As property

He's someone that I was looking up to,

when I was younger,

I love that he's still in tennis.

Former world number one in singles and doubles

and incredible commentator that he is.

And you're generous, you have a beautiful heart.

And as a competitor, you're a bad boy!

Two sides to every story

Somebody had to stop me

I'm not the same As when I began

It's not a game Of monopoly

Public Image

The Public Image You got what you wanted

The Public Image Belongs to me

My entrance My own creation

My grand finale My goodbye

Public Image

Public Image

Goodbye