McEnroe lights up Centre Court
The legendary John McEnroe wowed the crowds at Calderstones Park today as he appeared at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament for the first time.
McEnroe partnered former Wimbledon Champion Martina Hingis in mixed doubles action on Centre Court, as they beat Ulrikke Eikeri and Mark Knowles 6-1, 7-5 in a fantastic match.
The enigmatic American was in fine voice before entering the court, addressing the assembled media in his unique style as rain delayed play. McEnroe explained how Tournament Director Anders Borg persuaded him to take part: “The time between the French Open and Wimbledon I try to take off, but when I heard the name Borg, I thought it was Bjorn calling!”
“The fact that the Beatles are from Liverpool was nice for me. I like to experience things that I haven’t done yet and I’m not playing in Wimbledon so this is my chance to play here, I’m looking forward to it.” said McEnroe.
The 51-year-old made an immediate impact on court, unzipping his tracksuit top to reveal an Everton shirt with the name of fellow American Tim Howard printed on the back. It didn’t take long for ‘Super Brat’ to lose his cool either, screaming his legendary ‘You cannot be serious!’ catchphrase to officials on the second serve of the very first point.
McEnroe and Hingis gelled effortlessly as a pair, having teamed up for mixed doubles action with the New York Sportimes in World TeamTennis five years ago. They quickly broke serve in the second game of the first set, racing into a 3-0 lead to the delight of a packed Centre Court crowd.
Those in attendance got involved too, as Calderstones Park lapped up the McEnroe experience for the very first time. But it was the American’s fine play that stood out amongst the theatrics, as he and Hingis took the first set 6-1.
Eikeri and Knowles fought back in the second set as McEnroe failed to serve out for the match at 5-2. The pair won three games in a row ensuring the crowd could savour the experience for a few moments longer. But their resistance was short lived, as McEnroe and Hingis broke for a final time to win the match 6-1, 7-5.
The inclusion of 17-year-old Eikeri was in keeping with the tournament’s efforts to mix youth with experience and nurture the starts of tomorrow. McEnroe recently opened his own tennis academy in New York City and the tournament’s efforts to engage local kids was one of the reasons that inspired him to play: “There’s obviously an issue in your country as well as ours as to where we’re going to find our next top players. So anytime that the kids can get an opportunity to get inspired, even if there’s one kid out there over the next three days that takes it seriously and maybe becomes professional, then I think it would make it all worthwhile.”
Sean Molyneux
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