"You'll have 16 Boris Beckers in the Round of 16" - When John McEnroe demanded Wimbledon surface change after his title defense ended in shock fashion

Former World No. 1 John McEnroe once demanded that the Wimbledon surface be changed after his title defense at SW19 in 1985 did not go as planned.

It's not unknown to many that grass was McEnroe's favorite surface during his playing days, which is understandable since he won three of his seven Grand Slam titles there.

Going into the 1985 Wimbledon Championships, McEnroe, the top seed, was the clear favorite to clinch the title after winning it back-to-back in 1983 and 1984. However, he surprisingly fell to two-time Grand Slam finalist Kevin Curren in the quarterfinal in straight sets, 2-6, 2-6, 4-6.

The defeat marked the first time since 1979 that the Wimbledon final was played without the American and to everyone's surprise, he never reached the summit clash at the grasscourt Major again in his career.

Following that, John McEnroe expressed his frustration with grass during the first week of the 1985 US Open, a tournament which he won four times. He said that Wimbledon should abandon tradition and change the surface as soon as possible since it benefits big servers like Boris Becker and Kevin Curren.

"It’s not tennis anymore. You get a guy like (Kevin) Curren or (Boris) Becker, a big server, and it becomes a one-shot deal. It’s not going to happen in my career, but Wimbledon is going to have to change (surfaces). Otherwise, you’ll have 16 Beckers in the round of 16. Who wants to see everybody ace everybody else?" John McEnroe told the media.

"They shouldn’t keep things the same just because of the fact they have been there in the past. Players are different, stronger, today. In basketball, if players started to grow to 7-6 and could dunk standing on their feet, wouldn’t you expect them to do something?" he added.

Becker and Curren both advanced to the final of the 1985 Wimbledon Championships, where they engaged in a four-set thriller.

The pair gave it their all, but the German eventually overcame his opponent with a score of 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-4 to lift his maiden grasscourt Major title. Becker then went on to win the tournament two more times, in 1986 and 1989.

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What is John McEnroe doing now?

John McEnroe pictured at the Laver Cup 2023

After retiring from singles tennis in 1994, John McEnroe, famous for his on-court outbursts, continued to play doubles till 2006. He then became a sports commentator and analyst for television networks such as ESPN, CBS, NBC, BBC and more.

The American is still active in the sport, serving as the captain of Team World at the Laver Cup since the annual team event's inception in 2017. The 64-year-old has guided his side to title-winning glory twice, in 2022 and 2023.

Aside from these, McEnroe dedicates his platform and influence to charity causes. He has been involved in a variety of projects, including raising awareness and money for cancer research, children's organizations, and education initiatives.