While preparing this week for the PowerShares Series tour stop in Little Rock, John McEnroe talked about the state of men’s tennis in the United States.
McEnroe is one of the authoritative figures on the subject, having won three Wimbledons (1981, 1983, 1984) and four U.S. Opens (1979, 1980, 1981, 1984).
The sport has been dominated by players outside the U.S. over the past decade. There hasn’t been an American Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003. In fact, Roddick was the last American to play in a Grand Slam final, losing to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
“In other countries, the Murrays, the Djokovics, the Nadals, the Federers, those are the truly the greatest athletes in Europe,” McEnroe said. “Tennis is higher up on the totem pole in Europe.”
McEnroe said while basketball and football have proven to be the most popular sports in America, the increasing issue of concussions in football could steer more children to tennis.
“You have the opportunity to play a game for a long time,” McEnroe said. “It combines athletic skill and mental strength.”
McEnroe will be in Little Rock on Friday as part of the PowerShares Series tour at the Jack Stephens Center on the UALR campus. He will be joined by former stars Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis and Roddick. Courier won two French Open titles in 1991 and 1992 and two Australian Open titles in 1992 and 1993 while Philippoussis reached the U.S. Open final in 1998 and Wimbledon final in 2003.
Courier, 44, will play Roddick, 32, in the first semifinal at 7 p.m., while McEnroe, 56, faces Philippoussis, 38, in the other at 7:45 p.m. The final is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
This is McEnroe’s third appearance in Little Rock. He played exhibition matches against Guillermo Vilas in 1983 at Barton Coliseum as part of the John McEnroe Tennis Over America Tour and Pete Sampras in 2007 at Verizon Arena.
There are no linesmen for the PowerShares Series tour and players will call out when their opponent hits a ball out of bounds. Unlimited challenges will be decided by a digital tracker.
“There’s an entertainment value to it,” McEnroe said. “We’re still working out the kinks. Players don’t normally call out the shots.”
During his 1980s run as one of the top players, McEnroe often displayed his on-court temper with linesmen, a point he made light of with reporters this week.
“I would have saved myself a lot of trouble because then I felt like I wouldn’t have been screwed all the time,” McEnroe joked. “But they are human beings, I believe. They’re not trying to make a lousy call.”
McEnroe has played two days of the tour and will play today in Austin, Texas, before coming to Little Rock. He’s at least a decade older than his other three competitors.
“It’s quite difficult to win matches,” McEnroe said. “Jim and I have gone at it. He’s got me by 10 years. I was able to squeak by him the second day in Chicago.
“I’m trying to keep it respectable. I’m proud that I’m doing the best I can.”
McEnroe acknowledged that American men have struggled in Grand Slam play over the past decade and that there has to be work done.
“We don’t have an American in the top 10,” McEnroe said. “We have a lot more struggles in the men’s side than the women’s side. We’re not having a lot of success. Andy was the last guy to win a major. He might be in the top 20 if he was still playing.
“We have to do a lot more things, making the game more sexy and more cooler so kids want to do it. It’s like any form of entertainment. There’s also the price. I don’t know what it’s like in Little Rock, but I do know in New York it’s extremely expensive. It’s the 1 percent. That’s a whole other issue.”
PowerShares Series
WHEN 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock TICKETS Floor $195; 100 level sideline $115 ($10 children 12 and under with adult); 100 level baseline and 200 level sideline lower $80 ($10 children 12 and under with adult); 100 level baseline and 200 level sideline upper $55 ($10 children 12 and under with adult); 200 level baseline $30 ($10 children 12 and under with adult). Available at powesharesseries.com powesharesseries.com
SCHEDULE
Semifinals: 7 p.m. Jim Courier vs. Andy Roddick; 7:45 p.m. John McEnroe vs. Mark Philippoussis. Final: 8:30 p.m.