John McEnroe

He defeated his friend Vitas Gerulaitis in straight-sets in the final to become the youngest male winner of the singles title at the US Open since Pancho Gonzales, who was also 20 in 1948.

McEnroe also won the prestigious season-ending WCT Finals, beating Björn Borg in four sets.

McEnroe won 10 singles and 17 doubles titles that year for a total of 27 titles, an Open Era record, finishing at No. 3 in the year-end world singles rankings.

John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player.

He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

In 1961 the family moved to New York City, settling in Flushing, Queens.

Two years later it shifted to the nearby neighborhood of Douglaston.

John has two younger brothers: Mark (born 1964) and former professional tennis player Patrick (born 1966).

McEnroe began playing tennis at the Douglaston Club when he was eight.

At nine, his parents enrolled him in the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association, followed by competing in regional tournaments, then national juniors tournaments.

By twelve he was ranked seventh in his age group, and joined the Port Washington Tennis Academy on Long Island, New York.

McEnroe is the only male player since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973 to simultaneously hold the world No. 1 rankings in both singles and doubles.

McEnroe finished his career with 77 singles titles on the ATP Tour and 78 doubles titles; this remains the highest men's combined total of the Open Era.

He is the only male player to win more than 70 titles in both singles and doubles.

This tally includes seven major singles titles (four at the US Open and three at Wimbledon), nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles (five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open), and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title (at the French Open).

McEnroe attended Trinity School in Manhattan, graduating in 1977.

McEnroe began to make his mark as an 18-year-old amateur in 1977.

He won both the Junior singles and mixed doubles titles at the French Open, partnering with Mary Carillo in the latter.

He later progressed through the singles qualifying tournament at Wimbledon and into the main draw, where he lost in the semifinals to Jimmy Connors in four sets.

It was the best performance by a male qualifier at any major, and a record performance by an amateur in the Open era.

After Wimbledon, McEnroe was recruited by coach Dick Gould and entered Stanford University.

In 1978 he won the NCAA singles title, and he led the Stanford team to an NCAA championship.

Later that year he joined the ATP tour and signed his first professional endorsement deal, with Sergio Tacchini.

He again advanced to the semifinals at a major, this time the US Open, losing again to Connors.

In all, McEnroe won five titles in 1978, including his first Masters Grand Prix, beating Arthur Ashe in straight sets, as well as Grand Prix events at Stockholm and Wembley.

His late-season success allowed him to finish as the year-end world No. 4 player.

In 1979, McEnroe and partner Peter Fleming won the Wimbledon men's doubles title, followed shortly by a win in the US Open doubles.

That same week, McEnroe won the singles US Open title, his first major singles title.

At Wimbledon in 1980, McEnroe reached the singles final for the first time, where he faced Björn Borg, who was seeking his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title.

He was named the ATP Player of the Year and the ITF World Champion three times each: in 1981, 1983 and 1984.

McEnroe contributed to five Davis Cup titles for the U.S. and later was team captain.

He has stayed active in retirement, often competing in senior events on the ATP Champions Tour, where he has won 25 titles.

He also works as a television commentator during the majors.

McEnroe was born in Wiesbaden, West Germany, to American parents, John Patrick McEnroe and his wife Kay, née Tresham.

His father, the son of Irish immigrants, was at the time stationed with the United States Air Force (USAF), once revealing during a press conference in Belgium that his son 'John was made in Belgium but born in Germany.' McEnroe's Irish paternal grandfather was from Ballyjamesduff in County Cavan and his grandmother was from County Westmeath.

When John was about nine months old his father was transferred back to the US, and the family relocated to Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, New York.

After leaving the service, McEnroe's father worked as an advertising agent while attending Fordham Law School at night.

His singles match record of 82–3 in 1984 remains the best single-season win rate of the Open Era.

McEnroe also excelled at the year-end tournaments, winning eight singles and seven doubles titles, both of which are records.

Three of his winning singles year-end championships were at the Masters Grand Prix (the ATP year-end event) and five were at the World Championship Tennis (WCT) Finals, an event that ended in 1989.