Patrick McEnroe

For the Medal of Honor recipient, see Patrick H. McEnroe.
Patrick McEnroe
Country (sports)  United States
Residence Oyster Bay, New York
Born (1966-07-01) July 1, 1966
Manhasset, New York
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Turned pro 1988
Retired 1998
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money $3,118,316
Singles
Career record 140–163
Career titles 1
Highest ranking No. 28 (September 11, 1995)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open SF (1991)
French Open 3R (1991)
Wimbledon 2R (1991, 1992, 1995)
US Open QF (1995)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam Cup QF (1991)
Doubles
Career record 310–182
Career titles 16
Highest ranking No. 3 (April 12, 1993)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open F (1991)
French Open W (1989)
Wimbledon QF (1992, 1993)
US Open QF (1988, 1994)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals W (1989)

Patrick John McEnroe (born July 1, 1966) is a former professional tennis player and the former captain of the United States Davis Cup team.

Born in Manhasset, New York, he is the younger brother of John McEnroe. He won one singles title and 16 doubles titles, including the 1989 French Open Men's Doubles. His career-high rankings were World No. 28 in singles and World No. 3 in doubles.

Juniors

McEnroe started playing tennis as a young boy and was taught at the Port Washington Tennis Academy, where his brother John also played. As a junior, McEnroe reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the US Open boys' singles in 1983. He partnered Luke Jensen to win the French Junior doubles and the USTA Boys' 18 National and Clay Court titles in 1984. He also made his first impact on the professional tour that year, teaming up with brother John to win the doubles title at Richmond, Virginia. He won the Men's Doubles Gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games with Jensen, and helped Stanford University win the NCAA team championship in 1986 and 1988. While at Stanford, he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. McEnroe graduated from Stanford in 1988 with a degree in political science, and then joined the professional tennis tour.

Professional career

In 1989, McEnroe won the French Open Men's Doubles title and the Masters doubles title partnering with Jim Grabb.

His first career singles final came in 1991 at Chicago, where he faced his brother John, who won the match 3–6, 6–2, 6–4. (This was the second time in tour history where two brothers faced each other in a tournament final, after Emilio Sánchez and Javier Sánchez met in the Madrid final in 1987.)

McEnroe's best Grand Slam singles performance came at the 1991 Australian Open, where he reached the semi-finals before being knocked-out by eventual-champion Boris Becker. (Commenting on his fellow semi-finalists, he told the press: "It's just like you all expected Edberg, Lendl, McEnroe and Becker".) He was also runner-up in the men's doubles at the Australian Open that year, partnering with his former Stanford team-mate David Wheaton.

McEnroe won the men's singles at the Sydney Outdoor Championships in 1995, to claim his only career singles title. He also had some notable Grand Slam singles results that year beating Boris Becker in the first round of the Australian Open (before eventually losing in the fourth round), and then reaching the quarter-finals of the US Open where he lost to Becker in an epic four-hour and seven-minute four-set marathon.

McEnroe acted catalyst of fellow tennis champion (and older brother John's own rival) Jimmy Connors's run during the 1991 U.S. Open. In the first Round of the 1991 U.S. Open, McEnroe led Connors two sets and 3–0 in the third set but Connors came back to win in 5 sets, walking off the court at 1:35 in the morning, after 4 hours and 18 minutes of play.

McEnroe retired from the professional tour in 1998.

Davis Cup

In the Davis Cup, McEnroe represented his country as a doubles player in 1993, 1994 and 1996, compiling a 3–1 record. In 2000, after older-brother John resigned following an unhappy 14-month spell as Captain, he was named the 38th Captain of the United States Davis Cup team.[1]

With McEnroe as captain, the Davis Cup team won the Cup for the U.S. in December 2007. He resigned the position of team captain on September 6, 2010. His time as captain is the longest of any US Davis Cup captain.

General Manager USTA Player Development

In 2008, McEnroe became General Manager of USTA Player Development. A series of mandates aimed at promoting junior tennis, including a requirement that all players age 10 and under (U10) compete on miniature courts using new lightweight "green dot" tennis balls, have been controversial.[2] The smaller format is designed to make tennis more accessible to children but critics argue that it will inhibit development.[3] Coach Robert Lansdorp said in September 2013 that the format "is wrong for the very talented players" that become champions and noted that Maria Sharapova, Monica Seles and the Williams sisters were already competing on regular courts by age 7.[4]

In 2012 tennis coach Wayne Bryan, father of the Bryan Brothers, wrote a letter expressing concern about the effects USTA mandates were having on players and coaches around the country.[5] McEnroe responded, calling Bryan's criticisms "scattershot" and "filled with holes, hearsay and half truths".[6] At the December 2012 "Riv It Up" USPTA Education Event held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, professional coaches united to support Bryan in a "packed" meeting with USTA director Craig Jones that drew attendees from as far away as Arizona.[7] FOX News commentator Sean Hannity, the father of two junior players, posted his own analysis online "urging the immediate reversal of the USTA's new rules for juniors competition".[8] Former world #1 John McEnroe, owner of Sportime Tennis Center on Randalls Island, New York, agrees that the tennis federation his younger brother Patrick advocates is unlikely to produce a champion.[9]

On September 3, 2014, Patrick McEnroe was relieved of his duties as Head of Player Development for the USTA.[10] Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated reports McEnroe was "forced out of his job" after a six-year tenure[11] The announcement was made during the US Open Tennis Championship in Flushing Meadow, New York, where for the second consecutive year, and only the second time in its 134-year history, no American men advanced past the third round. It is the latest indicator that the United States has lost its place in the upper echelon of professional tennis.[12] The last American man to win a Grand Slam title was Andy Roddick in 2003.

On April 5, 2015, Martin Blackman was announced as the new Head of Player Development for the USTA.[13]

Personal life

On December 19, 1998, he married singer and actress Melissa Errico. They have three daughters, Victoria Penny (born 2006) and twins Juliette Beatrice and Diana Katherine (born 2008).[14]

Distinctions and honors

Major finals

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 2 (1 title, 1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner1989 French Open Clay United States Jim Grabb Iran Mansour Bahrami
France Eric Winogradsky
6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–5)
Runner-up1991 Australian Open Hard United States David Wheaton United States Scott Davis
United States David Pate
7–6(7–4), 6–7(8–10), 3–6, 5–7

Mixed doubles: 1 (1 runner-up)

Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up1988 US Open Hard Australia Elizabeth Smylie Czechoslovakia Jana Novotná
United States Jim Pugh
5–7, 3–6

ATP Tour finals

Singles champion (1)

No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in the final Score
1. January 9, 1995 Sydney, Australia Hard Australia Richard Fromberg 6–2, 7–6(4)

Singles runner-up (3)

Doubles champion (16)

Legend
Grand Slam (1)
Tennis Masters Cup (1)
ATP Masters Series (1)
ATP Championship Series (2)
ATP Tour (11)
Titles by Surface
Hard (7)
Clay (2)
Grass (1)
Carpet (6)
No. Date Tournament Surface Partner Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. February 6, 1984 Richmond WCT, USA Carpet (i) United States John McEnroe South Africa Kevin Curren
United States Steve Denton
7–6, 6–2
2. October 5, 1987 San Francisco, USA Carpet (i) United States Jim Grabb United States Glenn Layendecker
United States Todd Witsken
6–2, 0–6, 6–4
3. June 12, 1989 French Open, Paris Clay United States Jim Grabb Iran Mansour Bahrami
France Eric Winogradsky
6–4, 2–6, 6–4, 7–6
4. December 10, 1989 Masters Doubles, London Carpet (i) United States Jim Grabb Australia John Fitzgerald
Sweden Anders Järryd
7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–3
5. November 12, 1990 Wembley, England Carpet (i) United States Jim Grabb United States Rick Leach
United States Jim Pugh
7–6, 4–6, 6–3
6. September 23, 1991 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) Switzerland Jakob Hlasek Czech Republic Petr Korda
United States John McEnroe
3–6, 7–6, 7–6
7. April 27, 1992 Madrid, Spain Clay United States Patrick Galbraith Spain Francisco Clavet
Spain Carlos Costa
6–3, 6–2
8. October 5, 1992 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) United States Jonathan Stark United States Jim Grabb
United States Richey Reneberg
6–2, 6–3
9. November 2, 1992 Paris Indoor, France Carpet (i) United States John McEnroe United States Patrick Galbraith
South Africa Danie Visser
6–4, 6–2
10. May 10, 1993 Coral Springs, USA Clay United States Jonathan Stark United States Paul Annacone
United States Doug Flach
6–4, 6–3
11. June 7, 1993 Rosmalen, Netherlands Grass United States Jonathan Stark South Africa David Adams
Russia Andrei Olhovskiy
7–6, 1–6, 6–4
12. October 4, 1993 Sydney Indoor, Australia Hard (i) United States Richey Reneberg Germany Alexander Mronz
Germany Lars Rehmann
6–3, 7–5
13. January 10, 1994 Auckland, New Zealand Hard United States Jared Palmer Canada Grant Connell
United States Patrick Galbraith
6–2, 4–6, 6–4
14. September 16, 1994 Basel, Switzerland Hard (i) United States Jared Palmer South Africa Lan Bale
South Africa John-Laffnie de Jager
6–3, 7–6
15. February 13, 1995 San Jose, USA Hard (i) United States Jim Grabb United States Alex O'Brien
Australia Sandon Stolle
3–6, 7–5, 6–0
16. October 8, 1995 [16] Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Carpet (i) Australia Mark Philippoussis Canada Grant Connell
United States Patrick Galbraith
7–5, 6–4

Doubles runner-up (21)

References

  1. "Sports Videos, Articles, Player Biographies and More! | SportHaven.com". Allsports.com. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  2. Atkins, Hunter (August 25, 2012). "Developing Top Talent Or Hindering Process?". New York Times.
  3. Atkins, Hunter (August 25, 2012). "Developing Top Talent Or Hindering Process?". New York Times.
  4. Lansdorp, Robert. "Robert Lansdorp Talks Ten And Under Tennis". tennisconsult.com.
  5. Malinowski, Scoop. "Wayne Bryan's Letter To The USTA". Tennis-Prose.Net.
  6. Lewis, Colette. "Patrick McEnroe Responds to Wayne Bryan's Letter". Zoo Tennis.
  7. Morante, Roger (Dec 7, 2012). "Coaches Unite Under Bryan To Challenge USTA U10 Mandate". Santa Monica Mirror.
  8. Hannity, Sean. "Sean's Analysis On USTA". www.hannity.com.
  9. Atkins, Hunter (August 25, 2012). "Developing Top Talent Or Hindering Process?". New York Times.
  10. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/sports/tennis/patrick-mcenroe-out-as-usta-player-development-head.html?_r=0
  11. http://www.si.com/tennis/2014/09/03/patrick-mcenroe-out-head-usta-player-development
  12. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/04/sports/tennis/patrick-mcenroe-out-as-usta-player-development-head.html?_r=0
  13. http://www.usta.com/About-USTA/Player-Development/blackman_selected_to_head_usta_player_development/
  14. Patrick McEnroe and Melissa Errico Have Twins! Celebrity Baby Blog, February 1, 2009
  15. "NCAA announces Silver Anniversary Award winners" (Press release). NCAA. November 8, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  16. "Tennis - ATP World Tour - Results Archive". ATP World Tour. Retrieved July 8, 2013.

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