MELBOURNE, Australia — It was 25 years to the day since John McEnroe was defaulted from the Australian Open, and McEnroe was sitting in a makeshift ESPN office at Melbourne Park and trying to recall the look on his face when he heard the verdict on court that steamy Sunday afternoon in 1990.
“I haven’t seen it recently, but I’m sure it’s pure and utter shock,” he said.
It was, by McEnroe’s standards, a remarkably restrained reaction: deeply pursed lips; one slow shake of his head, which was wrapped in a bandanna; and an extended gaze with hands on hips in the direction of the chair umpire, Gerry Armstrong, after Armstrong dispassionately announced, “Game, set, match, Pernfors.”
But then perhaps silence spoke louder than rage, when it came to McEnroe during his playing days.
Read Full Article »