John McEnroe

Though this probably had the usual ghost writer that accompanies most celeb memoirs, it does very much “sound” like McEnroe’s voice, if you enjoy his personality, you’ll enjoy this well enough.

I don’t always agree with what he has to say (especially not with the idea that he could have defeated Serena long after he retired or that Brad Gilbert, generally one of the best parts of any ESPN broadcast, talks too much), but I like that as usual McEnroe doesn’t sanitize his opinions show more here, he doesn’t sit on the fence for fear of landing on the “wrong” side, it very much would not “sound” like him if he weren’t occasionally teetering on the edge of cancellation, right?

Plenty of ground is covered here, from hosting a game show and a talk show to how surprisingly seriously he takes exhibition and seniors matches (not a sense I’ve gotten from other players I’ve watched in those kind of events). McEnroe also throws in his two cents on players new and old, drops a ton of celebrity names, discusses his passion for music and the art world and touches on some family stuff, with short contributions from his wife and daughters.

This does suffer a bit from second memoir syndrome, in that arguably the most pivotal aspects of his life were probably covered in the previous book (which I have not yet read), leaving this one feeling kind of like the commentary booth during a blowout tennis match, when they just kind of start rambling about anything and it seems sort of like time-wasting filler yet somehow still entertains, that’s very much this book. show less

John McEnroe is the former tennis player turned commentator that everyone either loves or hates. The "bad boy" from New York famous for meltdowns on the court about bad line calls and statements such as "You cannot be serious!" that have entered sports lore writes about what he's been doing the last fifteen or so years, since his first memoir (You Cannot Be Serious) came out.

Love him or hate him, McEnroe is honest and will tell you exactly what he thinks. I really enjoyed his 2002 memoir show more and while I was too young to appreciate his tennis career, I've enjoyed him (especially alongside brother Patrick) as a sports commentator. Basically this book follows his interests, whether it be art, renewed rivalries on the seniors tour, commentating the big matches, dealing with his kids' struggles being the child of someone famous, or his passion for passing on tennis to a new generation in a loosely chronological way. He opens the book with an introduction and a section written by his wife, Patty Smyth, to "set the record straight" on how they met, fell in love and married. He warns you there will be name dropping, and there is, but mostly it's just a fascinating look at the world of a world class athlete. I spent some fun hours entering it, and would recommend it to any tennis fan. show less

I enjoy John McEnroe the senior tennis player, tennis commentator and author. McEnroe is not the type to pull punches – – he generally speaks his mind and often catches criticism for it. I was interested and entertained by his recollections and views of various test players including Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and the Williams sisters. McEnroe also shares his experiences with people outside the tennis world including Andy Warhol, Bill Clinton, show more Donald Trump, the Rolling Stones, Jack Nicholson and many more.

The most interesting story in the book had nothing to do with sports but with an art swindle that McEnroe and some others got caught up in. This is not just a tennis or sports book – – McEnroe's world includes music, art, entertainment and politics.

I had been looking forward to this book for about a year and bought it eagerly. I was not disappointed. show less

An interesting insight into the great tennis player's background and mental processes. Although I am generally sympathetic towards him and regard him now as an outstanding commentator, the book is in places a bit overly defensive and self-justificatory, e.g. he still cannot seem to accept he might ever have been wrong about a linecall.