"I was beating Jimmy Connors' a** pretty regularly" - John McEnroe shares anecdote about 'awkward' team dinner incident with fellow American

John McEnroe recently opened up about the awkward team dinner incident with Jimmy Connors. McEnroe and Connors' rivalry was one of the sport's most legendary battles.

The former American players locked horns against each other 34 times during big events during the 1970s and 1980s. As they faced each other between 1977 and 1991, McEnroe led the head-to-head battle with 20-14. However, Connors got the better of him in the later years by winning six of their last seven matches. During an interview with Andy Roddick's Served Media, the seven-time Grand Slam singles title winner reminisced on an incident around the 1984 Davis Cup that highlighted the intensity of their rivalry.

When Arthur Ashe, the then Davis Cup captain, asked McEnroe to skip a team dinner, as Connors did not want to be in his presence, McEnroe reminded Ashe that he had been playing for years and suggested that Connors missing the dinner would make more sense as he was relatively new.

"I'd like to think we made each other better players. But when it coincided with that year, what happened to be my best year on the tour that I ever had. So I was beating his ass pretty regularly."

John McEnroe's reply to Ashe:

"I go, Arthur, you know, I love you, but you're also aware that I played every match the last seven years, and Jimmy's just come in, and so it looks good on his resume. Do you think maybe he should be the one that doesn't go?" Then, he realized that I was right. And so then Jimmy ended up not coming to the dinner, but it was sort of awkward obviously."(37:46 onwards)

John McEnroe enjoyed a successful run in 1984 by bagging the Wimbledon and the US Open titles, while defeating his fiercest rival in the former tournament.

John McEnroe praises Carlos Alcaraz for achieveing success at a young age

John McEnroe and Carlos Alcaraz at the Laver Cup in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Getty Images)

John McEnroe recently spoke highly of Carlos Alcaraz, while referring to him as the best and most complete player of his age. He further highlighted the Spaniard's aggressive playing style, hoping it would change the sport.

“I mean, I’ve watched tennis for 50 years or longer… Of all the players I’ve ever watched, at this age, I’ve never seen a player this good and this complete for the last two or three years.” “Thank God for Carlos Alcaraz and what he’s bringing to the table,” McEnroe added. “The young kids always want to emulate the big boys. I’m hoping that they’re going to look at Carlos and what he does—how he loves to be aggressive and move forward—because we’ve lost a lot of that… But I think that’s going to change because of him.” (via tennis.com)

Carlos has clinched the World No.1 ranking and two Grand Slam singles titles this year.

Edited by Janhavi Shinde