A few years after he retired from practicing law for a major New York firm in 2000, John P. McEnroe entertained the notion of going into the thriving family business — talking tennis, the subject of a lifetime, on television.
The way he figured it, what did his ubiquitous sons, John and Patrick, know that John P. (the P could stand for patriarch of a famous American tennis family) did not?
"Well, I made some contacts and then they heard about it," he said. "They called me, upset. They said, 'What do you think you're doing?' And then John went on television and said, 'My dad's going through a midlife crisis.' He said, 'Two's company, three's a crowd.' I got the message."
Now 73, John P. McEnroe still handling contracts for his sons' multiple employment affiliations and interests, still contemplating a professional future during his early-morning walks around the Central Park reservoir, the elder statesman of the McEnroe clan has focused on a new career path all his own.
Let John and Patrick be driving voices and forces in American tennis. Dad (the man in the family box in the floppy white hat, to a generation of tennis fans) will run the world.
Is it ever a surprise when a job vacancy arises in tennis and a McEnroe presents himself as a candidate to fill it? It is in this case. John P. has set his sights on replacing Étienne de Villiers as the executive chairman and president of the Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP, the governing body of the men's tour.
He is serious enough about this to have written a letter to leading tennis administrators, agents and players, announcing him ready, willing and, with his family and law background, "the most qualified man for this particular job."
In his letter, John P. McEnroe has cited his experience representing what he called the "quintessential quintet" of his son John, Bjorn Borg, Vitas Gerulaitis, Jimmy Connors and Guillermo Vilas in their early 1980s battles with tennis authorities. He is mindful of how the contemporary superstars — Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic — have recently made noise about their displeasure with tour scheduling and requirements.
McEnroe says the top players have been "very badly served" by de Villiers, especially in the area of forcing them to play a minimum number of tournaments. He says that leads to physical breakdowns and shortened careers.
"An abomination," he wrote, in a tone not unlike a certain effusive left-hander, the winner of seven major championships and perhaps the most stubbornly opinionated athlete of his time.
De Villiers is expected to serve until year's end. As McEnroe understands it, the ATP board of directors, consisting of representatives of the players and the tour events, will choose the replacement. Larry Scott, the chief executive of the Women's Tennis Association, has been mentioned as a top candidate, leading to speculation that the men's and women's tours may eventually merge.
"That would be great for the women, terrible for the men," John P. McEnroe said.
He said that since writing the letter, he had had chats with some ATP insiders regarding his ambition. He has addressed the age issue — one blogger has labeled him McCainenroe — by floating the idea of a two-year contract, with one-year renewals provided all parties wanted him to continue past 75.
"No one has told me, 'You're crazy,' " he said. "And no one has done a handstand and said, 'You're a slam dunk.' "
As for John and Patrick, he said they told him, in so many words, go for it. Run the world. Just stay out of the booth.
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