"Those people in the royal box should think about bowing to the players"- When John McEnroe mocked the tradition of curtsying at Wimbledon

John McEnroe is never one to mince his words and always speaks his mind. The American wrote a number of things about Wimbledon in his book "But Seriously".

McEnroe expressed his displeasure with players having to perform a curtsy in front of the members in the Royal Box and called the tradition an example of the class system going "mad".

"As for all the bowing and the curtsying - and we're not just talking about the Queen here, we're talking about some pretty minor royals - what was that all about?" John McEnroe wrote.

"This was the class system gone mad, the opposite of a meritocracy where hard work is rewarded and people are respected because they've actually done something, not because they've been born on the right side of the tracks," he added.

McEnroe also claimed that the people in the Royal Box should consider bowing to the players as the latter were the ones who would provide the entertainment.

"Who were the performers here? The players, right? So why were they bowing to someone else when they were about to provide the entertainment? Those people in the royal box should think about bowing to them," McEnroe wrote.

John McEnroe won three Wimbledon singles titles

John McEnroe with Roger Federer and Stefan Edberg at Wimbledon 2022

John McEnroe tasted a lot of success at Wimbledon, winning 59 out of 70 matches with three singles titles to his name. The American's first appearance at the tournament came in 1977 when he reached the semifinals before losing to Jimmy Connors.

His maiden title at the grasscourt Major came in 1981 after he beat his rival Bjorn Borg 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(4), 6-4 in the final. McEnroe's second Wimbledon crown came in 1983 when he defeated Australia's Chris Lewis 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in the title clash. He successfully defended his title at SW 19 in 1984, beating Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the final.

Apart from his singles triumphs, McEnroe also won five men's doubles titles at the grasscourt Major.

His last appearance at Wimbledon came in 1992 when he was 33 years old. Being unseeded in the tournament, the American reached the semifinals following wins over Luiz Mattar, Pat Cash, David Wheaton, Andrei Olhovskiy, and Guy Forget.

In the semifinals, he was up against Andre Agassi and was beaten 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Agassi eventually went on to win Wimbledon 1992 by beating Goran Ivanisevic 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the final.