ESPN has announced that tennis great, John McEnroe, will be expanding his role at the network that will have him covering sports beyond tennis. McEnroe will serve as an analyst on SportsCenter discussing major topics of all sorts and handling sit-down interviews with top sports stars and regular appearances on ESPN2’s Olbermann and ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike. John McEnroe hosted the ABC game show The Chair which aired in 2002.
ESPN tennis analyst and Hall of Famer John McEnroe will expand his role beyond tennis to include year-round, non-tennis appearances on television and radio. The 17-time Major winner (seven in singles, nine in doubles, one in mixed doubles) has worked the US Open for ESPN since 2009 and Wimbledon since 2012.
In addition to his work on tennis, McEnroe will serve as an analyst on SportsCenter discussing major topics of all sorts and handling sit-down interviews with top sports stars. He also will make regular appearances on ESPN2’s Olbermann and on ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike, also seen weekday mornings on ESPN2. In addition, he also will also be heard on ESPN Radio New York (98.7 FM).
“Before John was a superstar in tennis, he was a sports fan…with sharp opinions and wit, as we’ve seen on our tennis productions,” said John Wildhack, ESPN executive vice president, programming and production. “His no-holds barred insights and personality will enliven whatever program or platform he is on,”
John McEnroe said, “I am excited about my expanded role with ESPN. It should be interesting and fun, as a life-long sports fan, to be able to voice my opinions on a variety of sports programs and forums, alongside some of the most talented people in the industry. The broad platform offered by ESPN makes it the perfect place for me to bring my point of view to all sports, not just tennis. ”
McEnroe won 77 singles titles in his legendary career, highlighted by four US Open titles and three at Wimbledon. He also won 10 more major championships in doubles or mixed doubles. Although a loss, his five-set duel with Bjorn Borg in the 1980 Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Final – highlighted by McEnroe surviving an 18-16 fourth set tiebreak – is one of the most memorable events in tennis history. An avid Davis Cup participant, he led the U.S. to five championships and later served as the team’s captain. He also won the NCAA singles and team titles while attending Stanford. In 2010, John founded the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in his hometown of New York City, where he is now working daily to develop the next great group of American tennis players.
Did You Know?
• John played in ESPN’s first tennis telecast, just one week after the network debuted 34+ years ago on September 7, 1979. It was a Davis Cup tie against Argentina in Memphis on September 14. ESPN’s Cliff Drysdale was on the call.
• John played in two memorable Davis Cup marathons on ESPN – the decisive quarterfinal victory over Sweden’s Mats Wilander in 1982 in St. Louis and a loss to Germany’s Boris Becker in 1987 in Hartford, Conn. Each match lasted over six hours.
• John’s younger brother Patrick has worked for ESPN since 1995. John defeated Patrick in the finals for his 77th and last singles title (Chicago, 1991, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4).