Born February 16, 1959, in Wiesbaden, Germany, John McEnroe is a former professional player. Known as the bad boy of tennis, McEnroe was a hot-headed, quick-tempered player who was just as great as we was short-fused.

He is one of the most successful players in the history of tennis, and has won seventeen Grand Slam titles, seventy-seven career single titles, and seventy-seven double titles in his long and storied career. Since retiring from tennis, John has proven himself to be a very talented tennis broadcaster, and quite the funny man in various movies - where he always seems to poke fun at his hot temper.

John was the oldest of three sons and moved from Germany to Queens, New York in 1963 with his family. He showed tremendous hand-eye coordination and athletic ability at a young age. At only two years of age, John could strike a ball with a plastic bat. This uncanny coordination soon translated into talent on the tennis court.

He began to play on the junior circuit and won several tournaments. McEnroe quickly moved up in rankings, but failed to claim the top spot throughout his early career. In 1970, McEnroe began training with former tennis pro Tony Palafox and Harry Hopman. He honed his talent over the next few years, and exploded onto the tennis scene in the late 1970s.

After graduating from high school in 1977, McEnroe won the French Juniors Tournament, and had his sights set on Wimbledon's Junior's title, but had to pull out when he qualified for the men's senior competition. McEnroe advanced to the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but was ultimately beaten by a more experienced Jimmy Connors.

At the time, McEnroe was the youngest player to ever reach Wimbledon's semi-finals. McEnroe's constant outbursts and obvious disdain for authority earned him a reputation for being one of tennis' nastiest players. He directed his frustrations at linesmen, opponents, and even himself. Although his wins were sporadic in 1977, he was still voted Tennis Magazine's Rookie of the Year.

McEnroe would lead the Stanford Cardinal to a National Championship in 1978, but decided to return to the professional ranks after his freshman year. By the end of the year, after being eliminated from Wimbledon in the first round and making it to the semi-finals of the U.S. Open, McEnroe was ranked #6 in the world. As McEnroe's success started to rise, so did his outlandish behavior.

He was acting like the quintessential “superstar” on and off the tennis court. He would get into a shouting match with anyone. And often the shouting would escalate into a full-blown fight if not stopped. In 1980, McEnroe met Bjorn Borg in the Wimbledon finals, and a heated rivalry was born.

McEnroe and Borg would battle back and forth for years, each winning their fair share of the matchups. McEnroe had reached #1, but continued to fluctuate throughout his professional career. When he finally called it quits, McEnroe had racked up an impressive 875 wins and only 198 losses for a winning percentage over 80.