John McEnroe and Line Calls

John McEnroe and Line Calls

Q. I’ve heard that McEnroe was often more right than wrong on line calls and when they went back and analyzed the video he would have won more tournaments. Is this true? Thanks so much.

A. Actually, this is not true. John McEnroe has been wrong frequently when put to the “hawkeye” test. In fact, during the 2005 WTT season he was wrong nearly every time that he challenged a call. One would think that he would be right closer to half the time, but that is not the case. You might go to the World Team Tennis website to contact their staff to research the exact figures of John’s “success” rate.

Would John McEnroe have won more tournaments if the line calls were 100% accurate? (At this point, I am wondering if you are a McEnroe Publicist). Well, probably not. In fact, many of his peers would have welcomed the challenge system back in Mac’s heyday, because it would have eliminated his long and boorish outbursts. Today’s rule is reasonable: If you do not like the call, then challenge it. Instead, his rivals would suggest, McEnroe used these (sometimes ridiculous) arguments to manipulate the flow of the match until it favored him entirely.