Roland Garros 1984

“Big Mac” crunched by Lendl

Just a tennis match? No, a recital. That 1984 tournament offered a top class duel between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, respectively World Nos. 1 and 2 in the ATP classification. High art. Straight away, McEnroe, the Mozart of the racquet, produced a full score of his tennis. The left hander with the millimetre perfect service and knife-sharp volleys was a sensation. This was a fabulous solo number. Facing him, the Czechoslovakian Ivan Lendl was observing the spectacle. Powerless. The American ignored all argument and sank Lendl into the deepest abyss of doubt. McEnroe had had eight consecutive successes against him. There was no longer any doubt about it. The ninth encounter was taking place that day. During the first two easily won sets (6-3, 6-2), “Big Mac” seemed invincible. And the first part of the third set did not seem as if it was going to reverse the march of history. Suddenly, an almost deafening noise disturbed the beautiful American symphony. John McEnroe, propelled by his nerves, was walking towards a sound engineer on whom he vented all his anger.In the semi-final, the player had already lost his cool against his old enemy Jimmy Connors. The two men even almost came to blows when Jimbo flung at the rowdy McEnroe: “I’m fed up with you behaving like a brat. Really you’ve got the mental age of my son!”But the public was finding McEnroe’s irritability disconcerting. The game was moving along like a long calm river for the American. So why did he want to make so many waves? Even more seriously, this edginess was putting Lendl back into the game. McEnroe was losing ground and floundering. Lendl equalised at two sets all. The American, overcome by tiredness in the fifth and last set, laid down his arms. He never managed to win at Roland Garros.