Another McEnroe

Press, 2 July 1983, Page 26

Another McEnroe

NZPA London The umpire lets the applause die down before saying: “Advantage McEnroe.” It is set point in another match at Wimbledon. McEnroe follows his powerful serve to the net and punches away a crunching forehand volley which sends up a puff of chalk dust on the baseline. “Out.” Neither McEnroe nor the spectators can quite believe the linesman’s call. He turns to face the official, shrugs ... and smiles. No it is not an umpire’s dream — it actually happened at Wimbledon recently. But the player concerned was one Patrick McEnroe, aged 18, brother of firebrand John. McEnroe the younger was playing in the junior event and he moved quietly into the third round with a 7-6, 63 win over the fifth seeded Spaniard, Juan Bardou. “Junior,” which was once his brother’s nickname, neither plays nor reacts in the expected McEnroe manner. Indeed, he has more in common with John’s former rival, Bjorn Borg.

McEnroe is right-handed, with a two-fisted backhand and, like Borg, tends to shrug off such irritations as dubious calls and noisy spectators. What he cannot shrug off, of course, is the McEnroe name and his match with Bardou, attracted the day’s biggest crowd on an outside court. If they came expecting tantrums and warnings, they were disappointed. For, unlike big brother, Patrick is enjoying every minute of life at Wimbledon. “I am just here to do my own thing,” he said, “and so far it is wonderful.” With big crowds following his every shot and facial reaction it would be understandable if the teenager felt he was playing in a goldfish bowl. But he takes it all calmly. “It is my first time at Wimbledon, but I do not feel under any pressure to live up to John,” he explained. “Right now my biggest worry is trying to win a place in college. Believe me, that is more than enough pressure.

“I know people think I am a lot calmer than my brother, but there are times when I have got to fight to keep my temper under control.” McEnroe then came to his brother's defence. "I know the same anger is down there bubbling up inside, but I do my best to keep it under control,” he said. “Having said that, I know exactly how John feels at times.” The junior boys’ event could throw up one of the most intriguing finals of the 1983 Wimbledon championships — McEnroe v. Nastase. Hie Nastase, twice runner-up and no stranger to warring with officials himself, is not playing this year, but is represented by his nephew, Mihnea, aged 17. Mihnea reached the second round of the junior singles by beating Peter Aldrich, of South Africa, 6-4, 6-3. Not only that, the umpire called him “the perfect gentleman.”