They'd all been trying to screw me, they just didn't want me back: When John McEnroe felt the tennis world was against him

Former World No. 1 John McEnroe is one of the greatest tennis players of all-time and had a glittering career throughout which he won seven Grand Slam singles titles, among other accomplishments.

The American was also quite a controversial character during his playing days and was just as known for his temper as he was for his playing style.

McEnroe took an extended break from tennis in 1986 before making his comeback that August. He reached the semifinals of his first tournament that year in Vermont before suffering an opening-round exit at the US Open at the hands of Paul Annacone.

McEnroe wrote in his book "You Cannot be Serious" that he was at a low point before the 1986 US Open and that he felt physically unprepared to play a best-of-five match.

"I hit bottom, physically, at the end of August, just before the Open, I literally felt unprepared to play a best-of-five-set match. Something was way off in my body chemistry. I was too thin, I had no endurance. It showed in the first round of the Open (I was seeded ninth), where I lost in four to Paul Annacone, who would become Pete Sampras’s longtime coach," John McEnroe wrote.

To add insult to injury, McEnroe and his partner Peter Fleming were defaulted from the men's doubles event for showing up a few minutes late. The former claimed that the default felt like definite proof that "everyone" was against him, lamenting that it was him against the rest of the world at the time.

"As icing on the cake, Peter Fleming and I got stuck in traffic and were defaulted in the doubles for showing up a few minutes late. McEnroe and Fleming defaulted at the U.S. Open, for being two minutes late! That felt like the ultimate, sickening proof that everyone was against me," John McEnroe wrote.

"They’d all been trying to screw me, starting from my first tournament back, at Stratton Mountain. They just didn’t want me back, I felt," he added.

John McEnroe won three titles in 1986

John McEnroe at the 2012 US Open

John McEnroe had a 22-5 record in 1986, winning three consecutive titles. The first of these came at the Volvo Tennis Los Angeles, where he beat Stefan Edberg 6-2, 6-3 in the final.

McEnroe followed this up by winning the Transamerica Open in San Francisco, defeating rival Jimmy Connors 7-6(6), 6-3 in the title clash. He then competed at the WCT Scottsdale Open and won it by beating Kevin Curren 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the final.