John McEnroe Cannot Be More Silver Anniversary
Player-turned-broadcaster is back in Melbourne 25 years after being ejected from the Australian Open
Twenty-five years ago this month, John McEnroe was tossed from the 1990 Australian Open. For muttering, under his breath in the direction of summoned tournament referee Pete Bellinger, a coarse insult punctuated by an expletive.
What McEnroe muttered that day is still a closely guarded secret. And so, it is Mac’s famous 1981 Wimbledon chair umpire putdown (“You cannot be serious!”) that must frame media coverage of the ignominious Silver Anniversary.
For example, when McEnroe – back in Melbourne to cover the 2015 Australian Open for ESPN – recently chatted with Sharri Markson, media editor for daily newspaper The Australian, he responded playfully to a question about the sport’s current state vis-a-vis “sledging” (Australian for “trash talking”) with: “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!!!” (The caps are the paper’s not ours.)
Similarly, McEnroe’s 1981 zing is the headline volley for a recent look back at the events of Sunday January 21, 1990 by New York...
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