1990 John McEnroe interview with Jimmy Connors and Bud Collins at Wimbledon
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This an amazing video that documents in a surprising way the real respect that these two champions had for each other. In particular, as a longtime fan of Jimmy Connors, one of whose major strengths was the incrollabile belief to be #1 for as long as he played, I gained even more appreciation for him by seeing how much he was genuinely sad that McEnroe was not playing and winning as much as his talent would have allowed him to
Wow great comment and I noticed or felt that too. Really amazing to see and ❤
I loved tennis in those days - two of my heros.
I'm happy to see the mutual respect between two great champions who were always portrayed as rivals who didn't like each other. 👍🏼
Portrayed? Haha... They don't like each other.
@@scottvanvleet4022 ...and you KNOW that how?
Haha... because John McEnroe specifically said they don't like each other.....
The last time I saw this it was live on TV. Thanks for uploading this. I love tennis in the 70s and 80s.
Not for me. The past 20yrs has been far better & exciting & I started watching in 1970, so I've seen it all. Federer Nadal Djokovic & Murray, streets ahead. Sampras years was tedious tho we didn't know it at the time. 4 shot rallies, now 20-40.
@@seltaeb3302Agreed. Nastase...I watched an old take the other day. 1st serve appalling, slow.
The previous decade even slower. Laver yea sure a great player in his day but he'd struggle today.
Even in the mid-80s he would have.
Connors was the first power player in my opinion.
The latest Wunderkid Alcaraz looks an exciting player.
Just when a person thinks he's seen it all!
McEnroe made a US Open semi, Wimbledon semi and Australian quarter in his twilight career after this interview. That’s a great career for most.
Was decent...he didn't do much after 85
McEnroe post 85 was just a pale shadow of the player in the early 80s. Even Mac himself said he 'sucked' in the late 80s
@@robbie192
So what? It’s what you do at your apex that will be recounted by future generations.
@@MaximusWolfe I agree...
@@robbie192that’s outstanding for most players whole career, which is the point here. Decent only in comparison to his greatness.
What a wonderful video. It's great getting a look back at this period, and observing the intelligence and maturity of everyone involved. It'd be so nice to have a channel or streaming service dedicated to classic tennis.
Been loving Connors 'n' McEnroe 4 decades two absolute legends. This interview is so informal real n' precious! U can feel d grief of a gr8 champ/ a troubled man who is about to give up. Jimmy n' Bud (rip) brotherhood trying 2 encourage John get through is so nice! Big rivals on court best friends in life. They deserve d best. Much love.
These guys never hated each other. They made each other better. Both great champions of the world.
Asking Jimmy to coach him, he wasn't joking. And Jimmy saying yes, that's proof that they respect each other. I've loved them both from day one of their careers.
Brought out the best in each other, great players and great rivals.
I love relating to champions with personal flaws and champions who own up to them. McEnroe and Connor’s both top blokes
And I thought these two hated each other… certainly made for brilliant tennis back then. Great to see so much respect ❤️
No they hate each other. Still do. They are both faking it.
@@hondo84 I don’t think so, what reasons would they have to fake it? What I see are two great champions on the tail end of their careers, years removed from the battles that characterized their rivalry and finally free to express mutual admiration. Friendship maybe a step too far but mutual respect for sure
the great Dick Enberg, Johnny Mac, Jimbo & classy Bud Collins...
thats any awful lot of wonderful memories to pack into 20 minutes!
I never was a big Connors fan but i always respected him. Now this guy on this interview was someone i could respect and admire. Sorry i never saw this when it happened .
Thanks for this interview. Many do not realize the efforts and balancing act that goes into being the best, or just doing well. Yes, family becomes a priority and rightly so. Consistent hard work another priority. Balancing the two and being in the constant spotlight, very difficult. John’s acknowledgement of this, is honest and heartfelt. Bravo to Jimmy for his understanding and support. The biggest bravo to John for opening up. Surely, others struggling with these same issues which apply to any endeavor will not feel alone, and be inspired to admit where they are. The first step forward is an honest assessment of where you currently are. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
What a frank interview from JM. How nice was JC always thought they disliked each other. Still love Mac, hope Jimmy comes to Wimbledon one day. What a great period in tennis history it was.
Great stuff. Thanks for posting it!
Such a great honest interview. Thank you robertedwardn, I missed this. Two greats of Men’s Tennis 🎾💜
Thanks for posting this. That was cool.
This is so much better than the interviews that are done today.
I remember this interview. It was very weird then and just as weird now. Especially with Connors and Collins discussing McEnroe's mental state like he is not even the room. It was an open secret of course that McEnroe and Connors didn't like each other. They were still on court rivals. Connors was taking the year off to rehabilitate and injury but he hadn't retired as we obviously know from the 91' US Open. I'm surprised McEnroe agreed to this interview.
deb.
"I'm surprised McEnroe agreed to this interview....It was an open secret of course that McEnroe and Connors didn't like each other." It is no secret that you, and most of the others commenting here, don't grasp what real competition is about. There is always a "respect" among the best players that no one else is privy to.
True Sportsmen have a universally instinctual understanding of and respect for each other. The real problem is that many so-called sports fans think that just because some athletes have some success and make a lot of money, that makes them great competitors. Not so - too many of them are nothing more than egomaniacs that wormed their way into top positions.
@@78tag I didn't say , or even suggest, they didn't respect each other. I would push back at you and say that you don't seem to understand that it is possible for competitors to respect each other but truly not like one another. Ali and Frazier were like that. Both McEnroe and Connors have been very candid about it over the years.
Did you watch the video? Connors is there on live TV basically psychoanalyzing McEnroe.. I just don't get why McEnroe would sit there and let that happen. Respect for one another is beside the point in this instance. It is just a weird interview.
@@RonnieLeeDuck I am with you. They respected each other but hated each other’s guts. Roddick also said in a Tennis Channel interview that he watched the two literally two decades later walk straight past each other in the US Open locker room, and that he had to cajole them into shaking hands. Yet apparently they were hitting balls with each other days later. Just a strange relationship I guess.
It was like one of those interviews you used to see with Ronnie O'Sullivan when he was going through a bit of madness.
Bob Knight once said everyone wants to win, but only so many are willing to prepare to win. In a competitive setting like world class tennis, that's what matters most.
Connors should’ve coached John,it would’ve been like Apollo Creed coaching Rocky
great comparison.
That was a movie, which rarely reflect reality.
@@frankmiller95
It could have happened.....
I respect both of these guys. They love the game of tennis.
This felt more like a threapy session than an interview. This was great stuff. McEnroe was always good with the media, win or lose.
By the beginning of 1985, however, after his unprecedented 'perfect' year on court (82 wins, 3 defeats) had left him still feeling 'empty', McEnroe was increasingly looking beyond the game to find a sense of direction. later that year he thought he had located it across in the eyes of Tatum O'Neal and his career is over and out
Pete had a similar issue after finishing #1 6 years in a row in '98 imo
So it was a dame's fault?
What hurt both Connors and McEnroe was mainly Ivan Lendl coming into his prime and dominating Tennis.
The only time Lendl started dominating Connors was when he was older.
Ah man I forgot how much I miss Dick Enberg’s voice. Todays sports coverage is just not at the same standards even with all the camera angles and HD picture.
Yes Dick Enberg was one of the all time greats
Total respect for these 2 amazing champions who could be friends...
The were my tennis idols when I was kid.
l like Federer and Nadal but they won't never have charism of these guys!!
and they have 42 slams combined compared to 15. Charisma will only get you so far
I feel so sorry for John McEnroe in this interview. He was messed up... going through a break up with Tatum... His personal demons ruined his game... he never had the same focus or commitment after this... such a shame... he was so great in the early 80’s. Being disqualified from the Australian Open was the beginning of the end. :-(
Time marches on….Not many players stay near the top after 30….but he was competitive (top ten or so) until 35.
He wasn’t equipped to cope with the modern game once the rackets got bigger and the players too he hadn’t the game to compete passed 85 !
@@blakemasterson8590 He was nowhere near the player he had been. I think it is a false narrative that he simply couldn't handle the power past 85.
The players were starting to get taller and stronger at this stage , hard to believe this is 29 years ago 9 years after Borg had retired .
Omgawd😵
Love these guys. Mac is so genuine sweet and honest about himself. He’s a really great guy
And so is Jimmy. He’s a real gentleman.
Their court personas are just that- on court personas
In The end, after this interview, I notice that Jimmy feels and talks like the John's older brother...If John had had Jimmy as a coach around 1990, who knows what would've happened? As a fan of McEnroe, he is so honest, realistic and severe towards himself in this conversation...
Connors asking Mac if his goal is the US Open, but if memory serves right it was Connors who came back that year to reach the US semis at the age of 39!
It was the following year in 91. Connors was the man who may not have had enough varied strokes, finesse, serve, forehand, etc. but no player will ever exceed or even match his heart. That dude fought every match until the last ball was hit and he fought as if it were the first ball of the first game. I’ve never seen another athlete, much less another tennis player, fight any harder than Jimmy Connors. When he said he loves the game he meant it and he proved it by how hard and long he played and how much heart he poured out on the court. Give me a Connors over 10 or 20 Borgs and McEnroes. I was never offended by his boorishness because he made up for it with his heart for the game and later with his humor which brought a lot more fans into the stadiums. He was loathed by fans when he entered the game but in the end, he always had the crowd.
@@lilylayzell4022 Perfect assessment.
@@lilylayzell4022
Give me McEnroe
Mac did reach the semi-finals of the US Open that year only to be defeated by eventual champion Pete Sampras.
This result makes his US Open run a couple months later more remarkable.
Tatum killed his career like Robin Givens w Mike Tyson
HCaulfield115 great analogy
He started doing too much coke. Simple as that.
Interesting stuff. I always liked Bud Collins. Years later it was cuz of color commentator McEnroe that Bud had to leave the booth: "Him or me."
really? i thought they got along.... do tell...
@ woodrackes. It was absolutely lousy how NBC Sports dumped Bud Collins from their telecasts of Wimbledon, the French Open and other tournaments. Collins brought a knowledge of the history of the game equaled by very few. Plus his appealing sense of humor (e.g., his references to "Uncle Studley" and "Fingers Fortescu the legendary net judge") always made NBC's Wimbledon telecasts all the more enjoyable to watch. It was so wrong how NBC unceremoniously pushed Collins out the door without videotaping a tribute segment to thank him for all the years of service he gave to their broadcasts of tennis events like the French Open, Wimbledon, The Family Circle Cup women's tournament from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, etc. The lack of gratitude on NBC Sports' part was disgusting! If McEnroe pushed NBC Sports to dump Collins from their tennis broadcasts , then that shows a lack of decency , respect and class on McEnroe's part.
John is clearly Aspergers. Take away his Aspergers traits and you have a sweet man.
Used to see them a to at Turnberry Country Club in Aventura ,Fl.....Playing tennis, having lunch......Even messing around on the golf course......Never hated each other...not really
I'm always happy to see the respect and willingness to help each other out amongst athletes.
Maybe but those 2 hated each other...and never came close to working together
Magnificent
McEnroe won all of his major titles (singles) in about a 5 year window of time and he never won one after the age of 25. He was a brilliant player, but his window of dominance was a fairly brief one.
So what? Is it more important to burn brightest or longest? I say brightest. During his apex he set a standard that every player since has had to attain to.
Seein them two in the Davis Cup finals of '84 against Sweden, I don't think so.
“His old buddy”. Haha.
Thanks for that rare piece...wellvim pretty sure it didn't happen but that would have been good,but I'm a strong person,and I think nothing would make John move except John,some of us a lot of us are strong willed but internally driven only....to proud to ask for help,got salt....
Wow, John took a break after being disqualified? This really puts another light on him in my perception of him.
I always thought, that he was well aware of possible disqualifications and finally accepted them willingly as part of his personality.
Gets to the Semis in 92’ so there’s that.
He just ran into the likes of Agassi & Edberg who just had Mac's number.
Would have been interesting if he did coach John and that time.
This was the time from the book he was having a very tough time with his marriage according to john....but we didn't know...
Head Coach Bill Belicek said, "You have to embrace the grind."
Mac was going through a divorce around this time, with Tatum, he just wasn't the same as the 80s progressed, and by the 90s his game had left him. He lost his edge.
I think the real problem was that the game changed around him. He was the master of the wood racket game, but the new, faster technology gave the opponent (like Lendl or Becker) a little bit of an advantage….and that was enough. Steroid use was going on. It was only a handful of players that passed him……Lendl, Becker, Edberg, Wilander…..he still played very well, and he wasn't getting any younger…..
He took a year off from the game and like "Fast" Freddie Spencer (moto GP star), he was never the same again. Like Florida said...both men for some reason just couldn't make it back to the top tiers of their respective sports.
The "Some reasons" being the arrival of new technology, Lendl's forehand, Edberg's volleys, Chang's topspin lob, Beckers all-court game, Agassi, Sampras, Wilander.@@thurney4343
Cocaine destroyed him physically and mentally.
I wouldn't say "destroyed". He was the best senior player ever. He's doing fine. He was still a top player for several years after taking time off. He played until he was 35. Lendl just got better.....then Becker and Edberg came along, and they were bigger and had better strokes (Becker) or were quicker (Edberg) and were great tennis players.....@@fjccommish
I find this heartbreaking in a way.
It would be awful nice to have my act together.
Jimmy’s anger was always directed towards his opponent, and John’s was towards the officials… Both, so talented, but Jimmy was more focused.
çome'on JOHN !!
nope they cannot work as a coach team.. like lisinski said of hingis, "different concepts".
Almost as if the two of them are interviewing John? I appreciate John sharing his heart, vulnerability during what must of been a very rough personal time in life.
2 GRANDS JOUEURS FABULEUX
As Mary Carillo stated John didn't know how to get back to number 1.
John is smart enuf I can see why he never had a coach....
Only 2 unforced errors and only 3 lost points on his serve in 3 sets (against Connors in the 1984 Wimbledon final) of the most brilliant tennis modern fans - if their being honest - have ever seen! Not even Federer has ever played that brilliantly in his career!
Did Connors ever end up coaching John? It really did seem that John would have benefited tremendously from Connors' discipline and competitive drive.
But then, I seem to recall that Bjorg overnight lost his desire to play tennis, and nothing could bring it back. I seem to remember John saying something similar later happened to him.
McEnroe and Connors hated each other in the most part.
Get nasty again is the prescription!
Get the feeling John was talking to Tatum through this interview.
So this is what 4K looks like. Cool
Dick Enberg couldn’t get in that men’s locker room fast enough..he was just disappointed the showers weren’t being used..lol
Never realised the mutual respect these 2 players had.....McEnroe was great and Connors was just.......Connors........isn't it!!!!
Some guys peak in their late teens and early twenties and their bodies and/or minds fail them in their mid 20s. Same thing happened to Borg and also Mike Tyson in boxing.
That could have been like Apollo and Rocky
The best thing for Jonny Mac would have been to have Jimmy to coach him at the time.
They hated each other.
I thought Conners and McEnroe hated each other.
Should've taken Jimbo up on coaching offer.
As a Brit now, I prefer the AO & USO slams to Wimbledon now. Why? I only ever saw Queens & Wimbledon on TV the other Slams weren't covered unlike the golf for some reason. Wimbledon has become an anachronism, so in love with itself that the tennis comes second. The Slams above are just about the tennis & I prefer it now. 2023 Wimb was dire apart from Andy's 2nd match. Even the final, despite being 5 sets, never really got going for me. I started watching in 1970 & took me an eternity to understand the rules, 'juice'?😊 I'd like to see only one serve, the first is only about getting an ace, most 2nd serves go over the net unlike the 1st, so why do it.
The same thing happened to Agassi when married to Brooke. The difference is that Agassi was able to turn his tennis game around despite a bad marriage.
man that poor guy has had a tough life. How did he cope? His life must be so distressing. Such a hero,
Fed and Djokovic managed to juggle their family and tennis lives much better than Mac I think!
Mac was going through a rough time with Tatum. He was concerned with his marriage and lost his focus.
Dale Igou Maybe cocaine
@@stevenschrittwieser7939 he'll of a drug
Hell.lol
Shame so few tennis players have personalities these days. Novak does but v few others.
What happened to jimmys nice straight hair. This looks like a perm?
It is a perm. He started getting them after 1984. Probably his wife’s influence. It makes him look a lot better imo.
I thought these two hated each other...
They did, and still do.
They did
Facing McEnroe amazon books $9.99!
May be this is why Borg quit on top may be what he meant by u understand later,was it...to JOHN
His marriage collapsed. Jimmy knew the pain he was in.
Unfortunately, Connors and Mac never got together to do this.
To watch Connors in this listening, almost caring mode toward one of his fiercest opponents.
And sounding honest about the idea of coaching McEnroe, now that was a bit surreal.
Both were mercurial players, yet in very different ways.
Might have been interesting to say the least had it happened.
Conners' time as Andy Roddick coach was a failure.
What didn't work for Andy might have worked for Johnny Mac.
We'll never know.
Holy cow, Connors coaching McEnroe, wouldn't that have been something like Hitler having asked Stalin to help him with an important speech ? These guys were so completely opposites....
Hitler and Stalin became allies for a time.
They were friends outside the battlefield
@@fjccommish They signed an agreement not to attack each other. Which, Hitler had no intention of keeping. First opportunity--he betrayed him as he has always purposed. It kept Stalin off his ass. But. . .then came the Battle of Stalingrad. Couldn’t have been a more fitting end for Hitler and his Reich.
@@willnill7946 They used to go on holiday together.
Ils ont des points communs.
The french , jamais gagné.
😊 John est passé très près de la victoire et Jimmy a été interdit de Roland Garros quelques années 😊
Bud was too pushy.
I think he was drunk :P
Two of the best players no doubt ....
Bud was well respected by the players and had a good enough relationship with the top players that he could ask unfiltered questions. Not pushy
Cocaine ruined McEnroe's career.
That's a BIG 10-4 👍
👃👃
❄️❄️
Other than the blessing of his children - his relationship with Tatum was a disaster and she destroyed his career
Be kind, rewind!
Interestingly, McEnroe DID do much better at the US Open. Unseeded, he plowed into the semis and only lost because he ran into Sampras, the eventual winner.
McEnroe would still have been great, but nowadays with no lines people to yell at he’d not have been as awesome. A fair amount of his game was about that gamesmanship.
MAc was going through divorce problems...with little kids...he had too much on his plate
what a waste of god given talent. Could have been the most skilled and also GOAT without question if properly utilized
Waste of Talent ? the man has 7 Majors .. we are not talking Ernest Gulbis here .. you would call Borg ending his career early a waste? .. Agassi's developing years a waste .. what are you wasting?
@ Ramakhrishna Vemuri. John McEnroe did NOT waste his talent! He won 7 major singles titles and would have won more major singles titles if he had not played all those doubles matches that most fans could care less about! McEnroe underachieved in his tennis career in terms of major singles titles, but he hated to practice and until 1986 did not get himself into top physical cardiovascular condition. In 1986 when he hired Paul Cohen to be his coach, McEnroe although physically fit got skinny and lost the muscular definition in his legs, and it was his legs that were so important to his great quickness at getting in tight to the net for his first volley. McEnroe also developed personal problems which caused his game to decline noticeably.
Watching this video, it becomes crystal clear why Roger Federer is the greatest of all time. It's his undying passion for the game and his dream to make tennis the greatest spectator sport in the world. Is he succeeding?
You tell me...But, I think fans realize that Roger is an anomaly. He's a "freak". He has gifts that no other tennis player in the world can say they own. And, listening to John in this amazing interview clearly shows the greatest gift the Maestro was bestowed: His love of the game and his never ending desire to improve!
As great as John McEnroe was, he doesn't hold a candle to the great Federer. And, that's no knock against J.P McEnroe! At 60 years of age, he's still schooling guys 20 years his junior!!!
At 37 years young, Roger Federer will be gunning for # 101, tomorrow, against Dominic Thiem! Go Fed!
He fell short. If he wants to tie Connors' record of 109 tournament wins, he'll have to play a lot of smaller tournaments.
@@joemarshall4226 He won't do that, Joe. And, that's why fans around the world love Federer. He's uncompromising. He doesn't need to break Jimmy's record to be recognized as the GOAT. Would you agree or disagree?
At this point, I rate him as the GOAT, and Novak second, Rafa third. But Novak could catch him…….He's six years younger, and he has a pretty impressive set of credentials now.
@@terry91745
I forget if I already responded to this question…LOL….senior moment! I don't know what Roger will do. If there came a point where he felt he wasn't going to be a top contender for Majors or Masters titles, he might spend more time playing smaller tournaments where he had a better chance…..easier on the body, smaller draw, fewer sets, slower competition...and Jimmy's record might be a fun goal to pursue. Jimmy's record is less impressive than what Roger has already accomplished, since the top players idd not play each other as frequently back in the day, so tournaments were easier to win….still, it's a nice record to shoot for, if Roger decides to do it. Right now, he is still (obviously) a top contender at all tournaments…he is playing in his third straight final tomorrow!
Roger just won number 101. Onlu 8 more to go…..And he's ranked number one so far this year! I have a feeling Novak might be a little hurt…maybe his elbow again. Cole's goal is to win the French…everything else is second…..It might be good he lost early in both ends of the sunshine double….
@@terry91745
The greatest BRAT YES. He diesnt come near ROGER !
roger federer would be lost playing with a wood racket against Mac..John would have eaten him alive. Stop volleys off his shoelaces, pinpoint serves....sorry, take his 200 dollar space age cudgel away from him and Roger would get his butt kicked. IMHO as a junior player myself in the 70s.
@ Annette Elliott. John McEnroe at the absolute peak of his brilliant tennis play in 1984 played a level of tennis above Federer at his best from 2003-2008. Even Djokovic has not achieved the level of sheer brilliance in tennis play that McEnroe demonstrated in 1984.
God cringe when he’s playing the guitar he looks ridiculous!
Very embarrassing to see that clip 😖
The game in 1990 was way past McEnroe's skills/power!
Not the game, only a few top players. The power of Lebdl, Sampras, Becker might be more than Mac could handle on a consistent basis, but I think he could still take out Lendl on grass and surprised the other two a few times if he were 100% dedicated.