“Isn’t Enough”: John McEnroe Makes Painful Career Admission and Reveals His Biggest Regret

Ansh Sharma Fri, October 2, 2026 at 1:30 PM UTC

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2024 Australian Open – John McEnroe American former tennis player John McEnroe during the Australian Open AO 2024 Grand Slam tennis tournament on January 28, 2024 at Melbourne Park in Australia. Photo by Victor Joly/ABACAPRESS.COM Melbourne Australia PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRAxESPxUKxUSAxBELxPOL Copyright: xJolyxVictor/ABACAx ©IMAGO/ABACAPRESS

In his eventful career, John McEnroe has arguably achieved way more than he once imagined. Apart from being a 7-time Grand Slam singles champion and an 11-time doubles champion, he is one of the most recognizable voices in the sport. However, McEnroe himself seems to believe he could have achieved far more milestones if he had just played more regularly on the Tour.

“”Do I have regrets? Yes. I could have won more tennis matches,” he said in an interview with Tennis365. “I should have won the French Open, I should have played the Australian Open more often. But I’m still talking to you now all these years later, so that suggests I left some kind of mark.”

McEnroe used to frequently skip both the Australian Open and the French Open, which was the main reason why he wasn’t able to clinch the singles major title at either of the two majors. His Grand Slam collection includes three Wimbledon titles and four US Open titles.

McEnroe officially stepped away from the Tour in 1992. But his last competitive appearance would come in 1994 at the Rotterdam Open. He was awarded a wildcard for the event, but suffered a first-round defeat to Magnus Gustafsson. He never made an official retirement announcement, but simply moved away from the sport without saying much.

McEnroe's candid reflection on what haunts him most reveals the weight of greatness unfulfilled. Subscribe to stay on tennis legends confronting their legacies.

Today, McEnroe has become one of the leading voices on the Tour and frequently works as a commentator or analyst in several tournaments. He is still known for his blunt verdicts and it isn’t easy at all to earn praise from him. The American’s attitude hasn’t changed at all since his playing days and he is not afraid to give his hot takes.

McEnroe had several outbursts on the court during his time as a player. He was pretty aggressive towards both the officials and opposing players at times. While such behavior resulted in criticism on many occasions, McEnroe remained resistant to change his attitude and let his success speak for himself.

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John McEnroe opens up on his famous Wimbledon outburst

One of his most famous rants came at the 1981 edition of the Wimbledon Championships. McEnroe was facing Tom Gullikson in the first-round match, when one of his serves was called out by the line judge. But looking at the replays, it was clear that the ball had landed inside and the serve should have been counted as an ace. Instead, McEnroe was given a second serve and this decision left him enraged.

“You cannot be serious,” McEnroe was heard yelling at chair umpire Edward James and even called the official an “incompetent fool”. He somehow wasn’t disqualified for this behavior and continued to play. Reflecting on the incident, McEnroe revealed that it is fondly remembered by fans even today.

“A day doesn’t go by when someone doesn’t shout ‘you cannot be serious’ at me or ask me to shout it at them. Is that sad or cool? I don’t know. Maybe it’s both,” he added. “Looking back on that day now, the good thing is I didn’t curse at the umpire. My Dad always told me that if I was going to complain about a call, I can’t curse at them because they will mean I get a fine and I’d lose my argument.”

McEnroe hilariously claimed that the incident is remembered more than any of his victories or Grand Slam triumphs.

“It was the only time in my 15-year career as a tennis player that I said those words, but it is probably remembered more than any match I won. Then, when I played on the seniors tour, it was basically in my contract to say that and to scream at a few of the umpires,” he further said

While he may have retired a long time ago, McEnroe still has a huge sect of fans, who have idolized him for decades. He is one of the players the younger generations look up to and his name will forever be present in tennis folklore.

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