McEnroe’s lifestyle includes Wimbledon pundit ejected from event and drugs binge

John McEnroe says ‘we all learn from our mistakes’

With seven grand slam titles to his name and a career singles record that reads 883 wins and 198 losses, John McEnroe remains one of the most highly-regarded names in tennis. But the excitement and drama he encapsulated on the court are just as intriguing away from it.

‘Superbrat’, as he notoriously became known in his playing days, brought with him sporting brilliance and controversy in equal measure. When he wasn’t winning one of his 77 career titles, the American was landing himself in hot water with officials, who he could seldom see eye-to-eye with.

Not content with becoming the first player to be thrown out of a grand slam tournament for misconduct since 1963, after swearing at an umpire, supervisor, and referee at the Australian Open in 1990, McEnroe even managed to get himself ejected from an event in 2008 at the age of 49 after making an obscene gesture towards spectators.

But with his racket now hung up for good, success and chaos continue to be the mantra of the 64-year-old’s life.

With a reported net worth of £90m, McEnroe has been ticking over nicely since retirement, commentating regularly on the ATP tour as well as making a number of television and movie appearances, including cameo roles in US favourites like Frasier and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

He lives in a luxurious penthouse in Manhatten with his second wife, rock star Patty Smyth, who he married in 1997. As part of a £41.5m real estate empire in Los Angeles, until recently the couple enjoyed beach breaks at their idyllic Paradise Cove retreat in Malibu. That was until they sold it for a cool £22.8m lasg year year – significantly more than the £2m he was reported to have purchased the property for in 1984.

Not content with simply sharing an abode with a musician, McEnroe created his own band after retirement, named the Johnny Smyth Band, with a nod of appreciation to his other half.

McEnroe has previously toured his band across America in the same cities as ATP tour events, but once made a surprise appearance at one of his wife’s gigs, performing a cover of the Nirvana track, ‘Territorial P***ings’.

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Life with Smyth certainly appears more settled than it was with his previous spouse, Hollywood actress Tatum O’Neal. The pair wed in 1986 but were divorced by 1994, with McEnroe taking full custody of their children in 1998 due to his Academy Award-winning ex-wife’s heroin addiction.

McEnroe himself was no saint when it came to recreational drug use, however, admitting to taking cocaine and smoking weed during his playing career, as well as accepting that he cheated on his first wife in his 2022 biographic film ‘McEnroe’.

But when he hasn’t been living a life of excess and euphoria, the former world No. 1 indulges in his other passions – art and cars. He has owned a Manhattan art gallery since 1993 and once paid Andy Warhol £35,000 for a portrait of himself.

Driving around Manhatten is quite a challenge, but that didn’t stop Superbrat from buying a Ferrari 400i at auction in 2015. He later sold the tribute to Canadian racing car legend Giles Villeneuve, before it was auctioned off again.

McEnroe will be back at SW19 next month, sharing his wisdom from the commentary box as the 2023 Wimbledon Championships get underway. The tournament will be using AI to produce in-game commentary on certain matches for the first time throughout the tournament.

But if you think that will signal the end of McEnroe’s reign as the king of the tennis microphone, surely you can’t be serious?

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