Rating: 
Summary: Could Have Been Better - Could Have Been Worse
Review: When I listen to John McEnroe as a tennis commentator I often wish that other former athletes were as candid and insightful as he is. I figured that his autobiography might provide similar insight and entertainment. I can't say that the book succeeds in this regard but it is still rather interesting and entertaining.The quick summary is that McEnroe grew up in a comfortable environment as a child and was able to transform tennis talent into a life of celebrity and athletic greatness. He's bright and articulate but also rather shallow, extremely sensitive, somewhat self-centered, but has generally decent intentions. For tennis fans and fans of McEnroe's, the book provides a nice recounting of his tennis career. I especially enjoyed reading about his personal impressions of some of his opponents including his disdain for Jimmy Connors, his relationship with doubles partner Peter Fleming and his strange respect and awe of Bjorn Borg. The problem I have with the book is that in attempting to reveal his personal life with Tatum O'Neal and his current wife Patty Smyth, he doesn't do himself any favors in terms of image. He also doesn't reveal much about himself. In contrast we know how screwed up (in his mind) that Tatum O'Neal and her family are, but very little introspection on himself. Indeed he even admits in the book that even in his playing days he rarely admitted that someone beat him. Instead, he had some sort of excuse for why he lost. In this book, he also has plenty of excuses for some of his "losses" off the court and gives off the impression that he would be fine to share a few beers with, but would be awful to have as a friend. In short, if you were a tennis fan when McEnroe, Connors, Vilas, and Borg were the stars, read this book. Otherwise, it's kind of interesting but you could spend your time better elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: 6-0, 6-0, 6-0
Review: John McEnroe scores a triple bagle on his personal testimony. A brat on the court and an insightful analyst behind it, Johnny Mac endorses tennis fans with a rare perspective of his life unveiling some truths, but attempting to eradicate those dark dots in his life in a self-righteous fashion. Honesty fuels good biographies; objectivity rattles them. McEnroe offers the former, but true to his principles, repudiates the latter. His admiration for Borg, his disdain for Connors, his arrogance for up-and-coming players, his passion for Davis Cup competition, his addiction to controversy are all illustrated in a book churned by his unparalleled idiom. Yet, his conspicuous bravado backfires on him one too many times. Rather than apologizing, McEnroe expects answers from the likes of Girulaitis and Ashe. Rather than admitting his own share of faults on a relationship that failed because of clashing egos, Tatum O'Neal and her genealogical tree are the evil empire. Rather than trying to understand Lendl's or Connors' different personalities, he bad-mouths them imperviously. However, John McEnroe does attain one peculiar feat. He harnesses the various dilemmas presented in his book in much the same way he picked up an argument with a chair umpire or negotiated a long rally with the "robotic" Ivan Lendl. He writes a great biography and he does it in his own terms.
Rating: 
Summary: You cannot be serious!!!
Review: If you call yourself a tennis enthusiast, suffice to say you're not one in my book if you haven't read You Cannot Be Serious. The always irreverent Johnny Mac takes the reader behind the scenes of his meteoric and sudden rise to the top of the tennis world as a teenager as well as his difficult, if not tumultuous, ride down when he was married to Tatum O'Neal. McEnroe recounts many amusing anecdotes from his tennis days that make for an entertaining read. He tells the stories behing his not so secret disdain for the enigmatic Jimmy Connors(beginning with Connors' refusal to shake his hand prior to their first Wimbledon meeting in 1977 when McEnroe was an 18 year-old unseeded juniors player). McEnroe reveals his propensity for smoking marijuana during his self-imposed hiatus from tennis in the mid 80's, the wild partying with the amiable Vitas Gerulaitis, the mutual camaraderie, unparalleled competition, and respect, of his nemesis and friend Bjorn Borg, the infamous longstanding feud with Connors, and his passion for, and unprecedented success, with Davis Cup. Johnny Mac tells of an offer of $1 Million from Donald Trump to play Venus that Venus turned down based on the somewhat dubious claim that she didn't want to play "an old man." McEnroe, ever the competitor, tells of his anger over Steffi's notorious default of their Wimbledon mixed doubles semi that left him calling her a rather choice name(female dog is a hint) in the locker room - strangely enough in the company of her future hubby Andre Agassi and his then coach Brad Gilbert. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: The Original Bad Boy Tells His Story
Review: I became interested in tennis watching Jimmy Conners, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe play tennis. My brother and I would go to the park on US Open and Wimbleton weekends and pretend we were the different pros while playing our mildly [bad] matches. I was a fan on McEnroe's but it was always kind of a love/hate relationship because I saw my childish self in him. I was a bit petulant myself when I played sports but, on the other hand, I was always embarrassed by my behavior and wished I could control it. I guess I projected some of these feelings onto McEnroe. It was nice, therefore, to read his book. To be honest, I really didn't know much about him and it was interesting to get a look at how he became a tennis star. And interesting to see what he did with his fame. Let's face it, people like McEnroe get to do a lot more than those of us who work for a living and it's fun to live vicariously through them. This isn't a book filled with shocking revelations, if that's what you're looking for, but it is a real romp at times. I tend to read autobiographies as opposed to biographies. I think it's usually more fun to read what a person has to say about themselves as opposed to what others have to say about them. A person writing about their own life has an agenda, of course, just like any biographer but this just tells you even more about them. In this book, despite the help from Mr. Kaplan, McEnroe sounds like McEnroe. And that's what I wanted to read. If you are a fan, you should definitely take a look.
Rating:
Summary: the real McEnroe, tennis, friends, marriages
Review: John McEnroe was a freshman at Stanford during my last year of graduate school. He joined the top ranked team in the nation and as a freshman became the star of the team and led them to a national championship and an undefeated season. He left to turn pro after his freshman year. Yet this could have been expected. Before arriving on the scene at Stanford he made a miraculous run as a junior reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon! All this and more is detailed in this book. The book is basically a look at McEnroe's life, how he was involved in sports at an early age and actually liked team sports like basketball better than tennis. This and his natural patriotism explain why he played Davis Cup so much and encouraged others to do the same. Most of the book deals with his childhood friendships and his ascension in the tennis ranks to his run as the number one player in tennis. He describes his great matches and you get an inside look at what led to his great victories and his agonizing defeats. He even replays as best he can his terrible fold to Lendl in the only French Open he really should have won. Part of his purpose in writing this book is to give you a look at what was going on inside him when he had his infamous tirades on the tennis court. He reveals the New Yorker inside of him and his inability to control his temper. Contrary to what many think this was not something that he did for advantage. McEnroe felt that these outburst hurt his matches as much as it helped him. He also usually felt bad or guilty about it afterwards. John McEnroe is an intelligent and complex person and that comes out if you read this book closely. Late in the book you get a glimpse at his personal life. His marriage to Tatum O'Neill and the problems that led to their stormy divorce. Unlike what most people think, he does not blame her for the problems and does accept some of the responsibility. But he definitely wants to dispell the notion that he tried to hold back her acting career in favor of his tennis career. We also get a glimpse of his second marriage to Patty Smyth and how his attempts with his own rock band nearly caused problems in that marriage. McEnroe seems to be a much more content soul these days. He has his tennis commentating and received the honor of Davis Cup captain and induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame that were oviously very satisfying achievements. Still it seems that he wants to change his public personna. The bad boy image is not something he is proud of and this book and his recently unsuccessful TV quiz show seem to be attempts to reconstruct his image. He also has a very good sense of humor which comes across in this book as well as in his TV commercials
Rating:
Summary: Candid, informative and almost five stars....
Review: I am a HUGE tennis fan. My tennis memories stretch back to seeing Rod Laver (one of McEnroe's idols) battle Ken Rosewall. Growing up I often played tennis during the summer at a local park. I continue to play today and I go to the US Open for a couple of daytime matches every year. I don't watch tennis on TV the way I once did. During the late 70's and early eighties, anytime Borg or McEnroe were playing a match, against each other or against other opponents, I made sure to watch the event. My allegiance was originally with Borg, because of his speed covering the baseline, his two-handed backhand, his european background, and his quiet dignity. No one ever played the baseline like Borg. All McEnroe did was change the way tennis was played. He combined foot speed (which he credits to playing soccer), hand speed, hand-eye coordination, with the best serve and volley game in tennis. This made him virtually unstoppable when he was in the zone. In terms of pure tennis skill, no one else came close to McEnroe during his prime. Because he was left-handed, his first serve, which angled almost into the stands on some occasions, drew opposing players very far off the actual playing court. IF they were able to return his serve, McEnroe would simply rush the net,pick and choose where the ball would go in the open court, and either volley, half volley, or drop volley the ball to a wide open court.Fortunately, McEnroe does credit many people along the way with helping him improve his game. However, he was hampered by so many emotional problems I found it difficult to watch him. McEnroe talks about his problems during this period. His family, in particular his father, was a source of tremendous conflict for McEnroe. Borg was his alter-ego because of his ability to move laterally and horizontally with cat-like quickness. Together they played some of the finest tennis matches ever seen. McEnroe talks quite movingly about his experiences with Borg, his Davis Cup appearances, and other tennis-related aspects of his life. In 1985 I stayed up until four o'clock in the morning to watch Johnny Mac and Peter Fleming play against Guillermo Vilas in Davis Cup. It was the GREATEST doubles match I have ever witnessed, and one of the greatest sporting events I have ever seen on TV. They played in front of an Argentine crowd which was so anti-American and anti-McEnroe, I thought there would be a riot during the match. But Mac and Fleming were victorious. Afterwards, McEnroe and Fleming were interviewed on TV while they drank Heinekens. How many TV interviews have you seen where the athlete is drinking a beer? Say what you will about his behavior, he remains an individual in professional tennis. He is filled with conflicts which he discusses at length. He played Davis Cup for his country whenever he was asked, yet he exhibited behavior on the court which gave new life to the phrase "ugly american". I have not always been a big McEnroe supporter. I thought tennis was a game where your emotions were kept in reserve while you battled your opponent, akin to chess. For that reason, and others, I never really enjoyed the theatrical aspect of McEnroe, or Connors, or Nastase throwing fits on the court. Give me a five match epic without much histrionics thrown in, and I am a happy camper.I still dislike Connors and Nastase, and after reading this book, my impressions are unlikely to change. In this book Connors comes across as self-absorbed, opportunistic, and somewhat dull away from the tennis court. McEnroe openly discusses his family, tennis, even the impact of 9/11/01. He is forthcoming about his problems, and displays a fairly high level of awareness than other athlete-turned-authors. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because I had just finished reading a biography of Vince Lombardi, written by David Maranis. The Lombardi bio is quite possibly the best sports bio I have ever read. This one is very good, but it pales somewhat next to the work of a seasoned journalist like Maranis. If you are a tennis fan, or a fan of Johnny Mac then you should find this book very appealing.
Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly affective read
Review: Better than I expected...McEnroe discusses his life on and off the tennis courts with a surprising candidness that is always engaging. His memoir is entertaining, somewhat insightful, and a must-read for anyone who enjoys the sport of tennis, admires McEnroe's skill both as a player and most recently as a commentator, or wants an inside peek of what went on in those halcyon days of the '70s and '80s when tennis was really at its peak.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it, brings back some great memories
Review: Tennis at it's peak....Great book, Now I remember all those incidents....Being a huge tennis fan, I found this fun to read and it actually motivated me to play better....
Rating:
Summary: The real John McEnroe
Review: Before I read this book, I just considered McEnroe a loudmouth tennis player who happened to have a very public divorce with a washed-up actress. However, after reading this book, I came to appreciate McEnroe much more than I would have imagined. I never knew how well he ranked professionaly and the intricacies within the tennis tour. McEnroe is very honest in his book, admitting his faults as well as telling stories (good and bad) about fellow players on the tour - Agassi, Connors, Natase, Sampras, Williams Sisters, etc. After reading this book, I understand McEnroe better and have even grown to like him. If you like sports biographies that are up-front and honest, this book is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Unique Mac!
Review: This book is so much fun to read. McEnroe is a unique individual. He is incredibly arrogant, neurotic, rude, self centered, and narcissic. He is also insightful, brilliant, artistic. He understands the game like few others. He also plays the game like few others. It all comes through perfectly well in this biography. Nothing in this book was surprising. It was all expectable Mac in your face stuff. And, it was so much fun. On a more serious tone, Mac has a lot of smart wisdom to impart about the game, and the game's direction. He makes a lot of recommendation that make a lot of sense, but unfortunately are utopic. The most noteworthy of them, is that tennis should go back to wood racquets. I fully agree. Mac feels that the character of the game, and the associated skill requirement completely changed after that. I don't know if anyone remembers the artistic, versatile styles of Adriano Panata, Ilie Nastase, Tom Okker, Manuel Santana. They all played with wood racquets. Their style of finesse and unpredictability is gone from the game. John McEnroe also emulated that style. Today, our only hope is Roger Federer who shows the versatility and talent of the past. Unfortunately, he rarely passes the first round in any Gran Slam tournaments, and gets worn down by some anonymous grunter.
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