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Crossfire! The McEnroe-Lendl Rivalry Resumes
14 Comments · Posted by Staff in Articles, Scoop
IN this corner, standing 6-ft.-2, weighing in at 175 pounds, 50 years old, from Goshen, CT…IVAN LENDL!
And from New York City, 5-ft.-11 and 165 pounds, 51 years old…JOHN McENROE!!!
Scoop Malinowski: How about McEnroe with the overly celebrating the win over Lendl in Paris! Their first match in 18 years! Wow, that rivalry has not lost a step, those two still battle tooth and nail, just differently now, Mac said Lendl threw the nice guy facade at him with the unexpected the sense of humor which Mac said took him off guard but Mac adapted to the mental warfare and KO’ed Ivan who defaulted in the second set. Lendl pulled the Henin “No Mas” on Mauresmo in Australia Open final and quit the match but Mac didn’t seem to buy it, he celebrated like he just won the most important match of his life, parading the court with celebratory fist pumps and raised arms! Absolutely loved it. Lendl took it on the chin and says he will go back and work harder but Mac said, Good, so will I. He’s already for the rematch. It was amazing to see this level of competitive fire at this age between these two rivals where clearly there is no love lost!
Richard Pagliaro: Mac was going crazy! He was loving it. Mac said in the interview Lendl “tried humor.” Clearly Mac felt Lendl, the man Donald Dell exposed as a miserable miscreant in his book when he represented him, tried to play the clever, “I’m a nice guy just looking to enjoy the game now let’s just have some fun” card and Mac was not buying it. I saw the Champions Tour video interview and even when asked about Lendl’s (alleged) injury, Mac was not buying it at all. Basically saying the players are all banged up at that age. Mac showing no sympathy at all. This will make their Madison Square Garden match in late February 2011 even more interesting. I see Mac trash talking Lendl in the press before that. I mean, he basically called him out for gamesmanship in this one then he does the over the top celebration like he just won the Davis Cup to rub salt in the wounds.
I was on the conference call with Sampras a few weeks back and it sounds like he and Agassi are trying to take the high road but you could hear in his voice, Mongoose will have a score to settle with Agassi. He said he will play Roddick in a charity exo before the Agassi Madison Square Garden exo (the main event of the McEnroe-Lendl showdown next Feb.) – that is a sign Mongoose wants to enter the Garden ready to fire away.
Will be interesting to see how Agassi plays the mental game here. He actually had to aplogize after the Indian Wells fiasco, where Agassi miscalculated and came off as the taunting verbal bully. But he’s a master of manipulating public opinion like when Navratilova publicly slammed him for the crystal meth revelation and AA quickly turned the tables saying what he really needs is compassion and not condemnation. Martina had to backpedal quickly as the public sided with AA. How AA approaches the gamesmanship angle will be telling.
Scoop: I have never seen Mac so joyous and happy on the court! He was definitely rubbing it on on Ivan there, and he kept on rubbing and rubbing. McEnroe had to wait a long time to get this revenge after the losses and beanballs at the net but he GOT IT. Lendl definitely tried every trick in his book and a few new ones but the mental edge in the rivalry has now shifted to McEnroe. It would be interesting to hear Dan’s viewpoint and assessment of this astonishing development. I am sure Dan would be very pleased and would remark something to the effect that he would rather see McEnroe vs. anybody than, say, Nieminen vs. Lopez Garica any day. Too bad they can’t rebuild Jimbo’s hips to get him back in the mix but still it is a fantastic benefit for tennis that Mac and Lendl have renewed this historic rivalry. Let’s just hope Lendl can get his game going because if he takes a few more of these losses on the chin from Mac he just might fold up his tent and go back to the driving range.
Richard: Mac was so fired up it was amazing. In the interview he had a huge smile. It reminded me of the time Gene Scott won the World title on grass and he beat a guy who had knocked him out of the French Open like 30 years earlier and Gene told me when he shook the guy’s hand at French Open he told him, “One day we’ll meet again on grass and I will get you…” Then when he beat him he said “Remember, I told you one day I would get you grass. Today was the day…”
These guys like Mac who give a lifetime to the game…I was blown away by the man’s emotion. It shows how deeply meaningful this is to Mac. What about this month in Arizona when he plays Tarango in the Surprise, AZ event? They hate each other too and that time Tarango beat Rios at the U.S. Open and made that remark about Mac – I know Mac remembers because he said he would play Jeff Tarango anytime any place anywhere. But Tarango has been playing Challengers so he is fit.
That may well be another battle because they do not like each other. Mac vs. Lendl is just a classic rivalry. Mac was not buying the nice guy stuff at all.
*****
The ATP McEnroe-Lendl rivalry stands at 21-15 for Lendl who won their last six consecutive meetings in straight sets. Lendl won their last meeting in 1992 in Toronto, 62 64. McEnroe’s last win over Lendl was in 1989 at WCT in Dallas, 67 76 62 75. The very first match between Lendl and McEnroe was in 1980 at Milan indoor (carpet), won by McEnroe 63 16 62.
"McEnroe reacted like he just won the Davis Cup!"
Malin Nilsson · October 5, 2010 at 6:15 pm
Thanks for an article about the Champions Tour. Reading about McEnroe’s attitude reminded me of some comments I read last year on a Swedish blog. It wasn’t a tennis blog, but a couple of the posters got into a tennis discussion and one commented that McEnroe had refused to continue to play the Champions Tour if Anders Järryd continued to play, because Järryd was too good and giving Mac fits.
I initially dismissed the comments because I couldn’t find any evidence that he was beating Mac badly, but it is strange that Järryd seems to have completely dropped out of the tour after playing for many years. Plus, he did not play the Senior Invitational 45+ at Roland Garros this year with Mac to defend their title. He played less than a month later in the Invitational event at Wimbledon, however. Could there be something to the rumour that Mac had him banned, particularly knowing how competitive Mac is?
Järryd still plays around Sweden and appears incredibly fit for his age. It would be great to see him back on the Champions Tour – even if just in doubles. How does one find out the playing schedule of the senior guys?
Scoop Malinowski · October 5, 2010 at 7:38 pm
That’s very interesting information Malin and I will look into finding if it’s true via sources from Sweden and ATP. It certainly makes a lot of sense, if Renzo Furlan or Arnaud Boetch or Sergi Berguera became the dominant figures of the ATP Champions Tour, it would not exactly be very fantastic for Champions Tour ticket sales or sponsorships.
vinko · October 7, 2010 at 12:41 am
It’s nice to see the old timers still have alot of energy but Mac macted like he just won Wimbledon. Mac,you beat someone who hasn’t picked up a racket in 16 years.
Scoop Malinowski · October 7, 2010 at 3:17 pm
The Mac reaction to the retirement by Lendl was a stark contrast to Mauresmo’s when Henin quit in Melbourne. But Lendl has been acitve, he played Wilander last year in the exhibition in Atlantic City. And Vinko you have to know that Lendl was as prepared as he could possibly be, to take on his arch rival John McEnroe. Years have gone by but these two rivals still have some a little bad blood and grudge left in their competitive juices.
Dan Markowitz · October 10, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Hey Guys,
Good stuff, enjoyed reading it. I’m in Santa Fe getting ready to bike to Albuquerque, but had to get my Tennis-prose.com fix. What was the score of the Mac-Lendl match? A little disappointed to hear that lendl didn’t come out with fire that characterized his play and demeanor on the tour. I guess he hasn’t done all the physical work on his body and game that we had heard he had.
Did you see the match? Was it televised? Did Lendl at least look like he’d lost the 20-40 extra pounds he’d put on? McEnroe-Tarango could be very interesting. Tarango has come close to win some matches, I believe, at Challenger level. Mac will have trouble hanging with that. When is that match scheduled for?
Scoop Malinowski · October 10, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Unbeleivable you are in New Mex already, what a journey. Great to hear from you and the legs are holding up. You’re gonna come back with legs like Walter Payton. Have you passed by a tennis court out there yet?…It looked like Lendl was in shape, you know he had to be. He was just trying to get in Mac’s head. There is a one minute video at championstour site, it might still be there, with Mac interview. The score was 64 43 I think, very close, bu8t Mac was super intense and I believe he broke Lendl’s belief. Good job by Lendl at 50 in only his second match since 18 years (he played Mats in AC last spring). Mac is super sharp at this time though, like Bloom told us he plays every other day. These rivalry is only just beginning, Act 2.
vinko · October 10, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I haven’t looked it up but my memory is that Lendl won the majority of his matches with Mac during their tour days. If Mac thinks winning one seniors exo makes up for that he must still be carrying a grudge. I always thought that Lendl was the most underappreciated player of his era. He was gaunt and didn’t smile alot and that made him unlikely to get endorsements and TV time. He had to be that way because back in his day the communist regime in his country could yank him off the tour and send him home which was a big prison camp. That put great pressure on hium that the other players did not face.
Dan Markowitz · October 10, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Oh, friggin’ grueling ride today over a mountain range into Albuquerque, did the last 10 miles on the historic Rte. 66. The New Mexico blue sky is amazing, but my back brake fell apart 20 miles ago in the mountains and I had to take it off and only brake with my left hand brake. Not too bad, just coasted down big downhills.
I have seen two sets of tennis courts. Boulder didn’t have but one that I saw, but skiing hiking, UC football yoga reign large there. Went by a beautiful set of outdoor hard courts in Taos the other day. This old pro was giving a lesson and another older guy, who I found out was from Tuxedo, New York, was hitting against a ball machine. Even though I was in my biking togs, but with running shoes on, I was going to ask him if he’d lend me a racket, if he wanted to hit. Tennis seems a lot less taxing on the body than biking does right about now. Especially, against an older gent, I’d drop shot all over. No, just kidding.
RIP · October 12, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Red:
Amazing how running from the law translates into pedal power! Glad you are alive and well and enjoying life on the road. Waiting for some doubles action here.
Dobey · October 14, 2010 at 5:17 am
RP, Is Pete Sampras serious about having an exo with Andy Roddick? Hopefully, this is just a hit and giggle session. For Peter to try to have a serious match now with Andy is going to be like Joe Louis coming back and getting clobbered by Rocky Marciano. I watched some footage of Pete in San Jose trying to play competitively against Verdasco. Pete is still a superb player but the speed is gone, the timing is not going to be there unless you play ATP level tennis constantly and Pete is going to be giving away ten years to Andy. And although Pete defeated Andy the last time they played (US Open, 2002), Pete had been trounced by Andy twice before that. If Andy is at the peak of his game, he is going to just push Pete all over the court. I would prefer to remember Pete the way he was in his prime, the running forehand, the four serves and Andre can do nothing about, not even touch the ball. Pete surely does not need the money.
I am glad to see that Boris Becker does not play in exhibitions against the young guns who rule tennis today. It’s so much better to remember the Boris of 1985 and 1986 than what we would see if Boris played now at age 42.
Malin Nilsson · October 14, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Dobey,
Boris doesn’t even look very good against the other seniors today, unfortunately. Too slow and out-of-shape to compete even on the legends/champions circuit.
Scoop Malinowski · October 14, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Becker will eventually get back into it, they all do at some time. Can’t think of one player who stopped the game cold turkey and never came back. Rios and Lendl even came back. Becker will soon I predict.
Sid Bachrach · October 15, 2010 at 5:01 am
It’s a shame that Boris Becker doesn’t get into shape and join the seniors champions tour for at least 3 or 4 matches a year. Boris was always a crowd pleaser and although he was surpassed by Sampras and Agassi, Boris was one of those players who could always bring people to the arena. His style of play was exciting and he would bring alot of glamour to the champions tour.
As for the Sampras-Roddick exhibition, Pete has not fared well against the ATP guys he has played. He has lost some exos to Hewitt and Verdasco and has lost to guys on the champions tour that you would never expect Pete to lose to: As good as John McEnroe is, he is not someone that Pete should have trouble with. So I have no expectation that he could give Andy Roddick a good match. You can’t leave the ATP tour for 8 years and then have a serious chance against a guy on the ATP tour who has been in the top ten for 8 years now. I don’t think Dobey has it exactly right that Pete vs. Andy is like Joe Louis against Rocky Marciano. I think it is more akin the George Foreman fight with Holyfield. George gave a great performance for a 46 year old guy against a guy around 29 who might have benefitted from steroids.
Scoop Malinowski · October 15, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Excellent analogy Sid!