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Walter Iooss Jr. Meets Johnny Mac
2 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Found this interesting essay by renowned Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr. about his Wimbledon dealings with Johnny Mac…
I was sort of obsessed with John McEnroe. In 1980 I was hired by a Japanese company to photograph only McEnroe for the entire fortnight at Wimbledon, and I had SI too, so I went to every one of McEnroe’s singles matches and every doubles match and, of course, attacked it just as I did with Tiger.
I really wanted to get to know McEnroe, so I put myself in his face with the hope that later we could connect. Remember, he went to a top prep school in New York City, went to Stanford. He was a smart guy and brilliant player. But he was often a real a——. Still, there was something compelling about him: You couldn’t help but watch him. Wimbledon was his pièce de résistance, with the British tabloids calling him Super Brat and McBrat.
So these two weeks are going by, and, believe me, McEnroe knows I’m there. One day we’re on Court 1, and the photographers are in the first row, level with the grass, a great angle for shooting. I have the inside position, at the net right where the players come out of the tunnel.
John had a problem with the film rewind, which made this humming noise. But I had no choice; I had to rewind film. I tried to do it on changeovers. Anyway, in this match I hit the rewind button one time, and I could hear the silence around me. John looked over and said, “You have to do that now?”
My first response was to look down the row of photographers, as if to say, You know I wouldn’t do that, John. But John looked right at me: “No, you, the one pretending he didn’t do it. You.” This was Round 1 of an endless bout between us that would go on for those two weeks and the two weeks of the U.S. Open in August and September.
So we get to the Wimbledon men’s singles final, and before the match starts I walk out to shoot McEnroe. He looks at me and says, “You f—— son of a bitch. You f—— c———.” This is before the final. Really, this is what he’s going to spend his energy on?
He loses the final to Bjorn Borg. The next day I’m at the Concorde lounge bringing the film back to New York City, and I’m talking to Arthur Ashe and his wife, Jeannie. I say, “I’d really like to meet John.”
Arthur says, “I’ve seen him mistreat too many people. Jeannie can introduce you, but I don’t want to.”
So Jeannie and I walk over. McEnroe’s all in denim: jean jacket, jeans. He’s sitting hunched over, as usual, removing himself from the world.
Jeannie says, “Hi, John. I’d like to introduce you to somebody.”
He looks up at me and says, “You’re an assassin. You’re all assassins.” He starts getting really pissed off. He says, “Why can’t you use just one roll of film?”
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Dan Markowitz · December 14, 2011 at 3:27 pm
I love it. That’s a classic Mac story. Ever the perfectionist and the harsh critic of anyone else doing his job if they mar his performance. But Mac had a point. Those photographers can be ciphers.
Mac is very verbal, but there is a social tic he has even today. I saw him play in a charity event a couple of years ago, and afterward, as everyone else was talking and kibbutzing, Mac just walked away with his racket bag on his shoulder.
I think that’s what made him so intriguing. He seemed so fierce and extroverted on the court, but shy and cloistered off of it.
Scoop Malinowski · December 14, 2011 at 4:07 pm
He was right in this case. It’s a huge moment. You have to keep the photographers on their toes. Imagine if one of the photographers pushes the wrong button or make a blunder on set point. Mac has to do this, he has to keep these guys in check. Tennis is like surgery, it’s very delicate. Some players will not tolerate ineptness or unwanted noises. I remember a guy in our leagues used to freak out when this new merry go round next to the courts in the park would do it’s thing during a match. Some people thought he was overreacting but I understood.