Former world no. 1 John McEnroe made a wild revelation on how Wimbledon officials declined his plea to practice on Centre Court.
The former pro-turned-commentator relayed the news on ESPN where he was undertaking pundit duties for the 2023 Championships. And during the semifinal match between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, lead commentator Chris Fowler engaged McEnroe to shed light on his upcoming TV stunt.
McEnroe is the protagonist of the tennis-centric TV program called McEnroe's Places which premiered last month and sees McEnroe delve into recounting the history of the game with legends of the past and present.
The 64-year-old met up with his former rival Bjorn Borg at SW19 and they looked to turn back time one more time by practicing on the hallowed Centre Court, where McEnroe was aiming to shoot their jovial hit session for an upcoming episode of McEnroe's Places.
McEnroe's request was met with a flat rhetoric question of its own - How about Court 6? - as the former player admitted to listeners on TV. The grass had been reseeded, and the All England Club was not taking any chances of allowing extra yards on the patched-up surface.
McEnroe and Borg were part of an intriguing rivalry in the late 70s and early 80s that defined an era. The pair clashed 14 times on the ATP Tour, with the head-to-head tied at 7-7. They played two memorable matches at Wimbledon. Borg defeated the American in the 1980 final in five sets to win a record fifth title in a row - a match widely regarded among the pantheon of tennis classics.
And McEnroe famously ended the Swede's 41-match winning streak at the All England Club the following year, beating Borg in four sets. McEnroe defeated Borg later that year at the US Open too, which was their last confrontation at a Grand Slam.
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