Tennis icon John McEnroe previously admitted to not taking his wife’s advice during Donald Trump’s visit to the US Open in 2015
Tennis legend John McEnroe previously ignored his wife’s advice when greeting Donald Trump at the US Open a decade ago. On Sunday, Trump became the first sitting president to attend the US Open final since Bill Clinton in 2000.
The increased security required for President Trump’s arrival was partly to blame for the showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner being delayed by half an hour. A portion of fans were still waiting outside when the US Open final eventually got underway, with Alcaraz clinching victory in the fourth set.
However, four-time US Open champion McEnroe had already made his feelings known about Trump attending the Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 66-year-old broadcaster ignored a warning from his wife Patty Smyth when approaching Trump at the grand slam in 2015 and McEnroe admitted to soon regretting his decision.
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There seemed to be a slight misunderstanding when the two met a decade ago, with Trump mistaking a letter from McEnroe’s father, supporting his Republican campaign, as being sent from the tennis icon. This led to a warmer welcome than McEnroe had expected, with their interaction being caught on camera.
“I’ve known Donald a little over the years. In fact, my dad — also called John — had written to Trump at the start of his campaign for the Republican nomination, asking if there was anything he could do to help,” McEnroe told The Times in 2017.
“Donald has a box at the U.S. Open, right next to the broadcasters’ booth. At the 2015 tournament, I went over to say hello, against the advice of my wife and daughter: ‘Don’t you dare go over there. He’s a misogynist and a blowhard—it could hurt your reputation.’ Sure enough, it was caught on TV, me hugging Donald like we were long-lost brothers.
“He did seem more pleased to see me than usual, and I only realized why when he said, ‘John, thank you so much for the letter. I’ve got it on the wall in my office!’ I hoped this was fake news. I didn’t want everyone who went into Trump’s office thinking I was his No. 1 fan.”
The pair had previously crossed paths when Trump offered $1million for McEnroe to face either Serena or Venus Williams in a match. The Williams sisters both declined the offer, while McEnroe was taken aback by a message from Trump.
Recalling the incident for The Times, McEnroe said: “In 2000, Donald Trump put $1m on the table. ‘I wrote a letter to my dear friend John making him the offer,’ claimed Trump. His ‘dear friend’? News to me.”
Earlier this year, McEnroe referenced the president when discussing mind games during the French Open. “Donald Trump got re-elected. You know why? He got in the head of his opponents,” McEnroe said while working as a pundit for TNT.
McEnroe was working for ESPN during Trump’s latest US Open visit. However, the pundit would have been more focused on Alcaraz’s impressive performance as the 22-year-old claimed the sixth Grand Slam title of his career.
Alcaraz secured the world No.1 spot with his US Open triumph and runner-up Sinner was quick to praise his rival after the match. “Carlos and his whole team are doing amazing, and I know there was a lot of hard work behind this performance today and it was better than me so congratulations, it’s a great moment for you,” Sinner said.
“I tried my best today and I couldn’t do more. The fans here are amazing, seeing packed stadiums. This place is so, so special.”