John McEnroe, nicked named " Superbrat," is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. In 1979, he won his first U.S. Open, beating Vitas Gerulaitis in straight sets in the final to become the youngest winner of the U.S. championships in 31 years, since Pancho Gonzales, also 20. During his career, he earned $12,539,622 and 77 singles titles, third most behind Jimmy Connors' 109 and Ivan Lendl's 94. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title. John also won a record eight season ending championships, comprising five WCT Finals titles and three Masters Grand Prix titles from a combined twelve final appearances at these two events, a record he shares with Ivan Lendl.
John is also the worst possible role model for any young person interested in playing professional sports. He was a super winner and a super whiner. Unfortunately, his on-court achievements were often overshadowed by his on-court temper tantrums. In 1987, McEnroe didn't win a title for the first time since turning pro. He took a seven-month break from the game following the US Open, where he was suspended for two months and fined $17,500 for misconduct and verbal abuse. At the height of his career, NBC-TV's tennis coverage included a piece with clips of his many on-court tantrums, underscored by the Men at Work hit song, Be Good Johnny. His bursts of rage were parodied in the satirical British programme 'Spitting Image', where he and his then wife Tatum frequently screamed and threw things at each other. He was also lampooned in the Australian The Paul Hogan Show, in which Paul Hogan played "John MacEnhoax" who used a handshake to fling his opponent, destroying a tennis court.