The commencement speaker for Stanford’s 2023 graduation was tennis legend John McEnroe, who played one year at Stanford, guiding the Cardinal to the 1978 team championship while also winning the 1978 NCAA singles title. In his speech, McEnroe talked about his desire to come to Stanford, why he felt like that year on The Farm helped him grow under the coaching of Dick Gould, and why it’s important to prioritize mental health.
With Wimbledon beginning on Monday, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at McEnroe’s greatest performances at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. McEnroe won three Wimbledon singles titles in 1981, 1983, and 1984 while also reaching the Wimbledon final in 1980 and 1982. As a doubles player, McEnroe won Wimbledon in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, and 1992. To say the least, there is quite a menu of tournaments to choose from.
If I had to start with any Wimbledon performance by Johnny Mac, it would be his performance in 1977. McEnroe was yet to attend Stanford and progressed through the qualifiers and into the main draw as an amateur. McEnroe defeated (13) Phil Dent in the quarterfinals 6-4, 8-9, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 before losing to (1) Jimmy Connors in four sets (3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6) in the semifinals. To reach the semifinals of Wimbledon as a qualifier and amateur is crazy. McEnroe was just 18 years of age and gave the world an early glimpse of what was to come.
The second Wimbledon performance that comes to mind is what McEnroe addressed in his speech: His run to the final in 1980, where he lost to Bjorn Borg in five sets (1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6). It was McEnroe’s first trip to a Wimbledon singles final and is still regarded as one of the greatest matches ever played. Even though he lost the match, McEnroe reflects on that match as a real moment of pride because he went toe-to-toe with the best player in the world and an all-time legend. He told this year’s Stanford graduates that being pushed by one of the best to ever play the sport made him a better tennis player and that sometimes it’s not always about coming out on top at the end of the match.
In 1981, McEnroe finally won his first Wimbledon singles title, defeating Borg in four sets (4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4). What made this performance so memorable is that McEnroe was able to learn from the 1980 final and finish the job after coming so close. And it wasn’t like Borg had lost his step. Borg once again was the number one seed while McEnroe was the number two seed. After dropping the first set, McEnroe could have easily caved. Instead, he rose to the challenge and defeated Borg. This was not McEnroe’s first grand slam title. He had two US Open titles previously in 1979 and 1980, but by winning Wimbledon, McEnroe proved that he could go all the way on the grass and win tennis’ most prestigious tournament.
In 1983, McEnroe cruised to his second Wimbledon and fifth overall grand slam singles title. McEnroe dropped only one set the entire tournament in the second round. Every other match was a straight set victory, culminating in a beating down of Chris Lewis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
And then finally, we have the 1984 Wimbledon in which McEnroe once again dropped only one set en route to his third Wimbledon and sixth grand slam singles title. McEnroe would win his seventh and final grand slam singles title at the US Open later that year. As the top seed in the tournament, McEnroe defeated the third seed Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the final. It was once again pure domination.
Going back to his speech to the Stanford graduates of 2023, it’s interesting that McEnroe chose to talk about the 1980 loss to Borg. Part of why that match has such a special place in his heart is knowing that Nelson Mandela was listening in on the match from his jail cell on Robben Island. The fact that he was able to help lift Mandela’s spirits that day meant a lot to him and is something that he’ll always cherish. And then on top of that, the lessons he learned from battling Borg so tough. That match really helped McEnroe take his game to the next level.
When talking about the greatest athletes to ever come through Stanford, John McEnroe is undoubtedly one of the first people who comes to mind. He came to The Farm already having accomplished a lot by reaching the Wimbledon semifinals in 1977 and used that experience to propel himself to one of the best individual seasons of any athlete in Stanford history. Following his brief time on campus, he went on to have a storied professional career, cementing himself as an all-time great. If there is any professional athlete to be the first to give a commencement speech at Stanford, it’s fitting that it would be Johnny Mac.
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