The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and Opinions5. John McEnroe – “you cannot be serious!”
When the name John McEnroe is mentioned the words “you cannot be serious” immediately spring to mind. It was 1981 during the Wimbledon Championships in a match against Tom Gullikson, where McEnroe shouted the immortal line “you cannot be serious!”. He was incensed that umpire Edward James had ruled his serve out, and he was convinced he should have had the point. He was filled with rage at the decision going against him, he called the match official an “incompetent fool”. This outburst from McEnroe did not go down well with the crowd, and a large section of the audience were booing.
What do I think?
New evidence suggests that McEnroe was right and he should have been awarded the point, but regardless, he acted in a way that was far from gracious, hence the negative response from all those on Centre Court.McEnroe went too far and should have gone about things in a different way. He overstepped the mark by calling the umpire an “incompetent fool” but his frustration is understandable, he is in a high pressure situation and McEnroe has seen a decision which he clearly feels should have gone his way go against him. It is one of those sporting acts that is unacceptable, but understandable nonetheless.
