Jimmy didn't want to see me": McEnroe reveals the explosive details of the 1984 Davis Cup

© AFP

Jules Hypolite

le 20/09/2025 à 19h32

2 min to read

Connors McEnroe

Invited to a podcast on the occasion of the Laver Cup, John McEnroe revisited the 80s. With a delightful anecdote about his intense rivalry with Jimmy Connors.

McEnroe stepped down this year as captain of Team World at the Laver Cup, replaced by Andre Agassi.

This doesn’t prevent 'Johnny Mac' from being present in San Francisco this weekend. He appeared on Andy Roddick's podcast to talk about his years in captaincy and what the Laver Cup might have looked like if it existed in the 80s:

"My God, I had never thought about that. Can you imagine Jimmy Connors and me together? I don't think it would have been possible."

The former world No. 1 then recounted an anecdote about his former rival with whom he had to play the 1984 Davis Cup:

"I even played the Davis Cup with him. During the months of the competition, we never spoke to each other. It's not the atmosphere you want in a team. I had been playing the Davis Cup for seven years already.

Suddenly, Jimmy and his agent realized that the only thing missing from his record was the Davis Cup. He had always refused to play it.

Arthur Ashe, the captain, told me: 'John, the team dinner is Wednesday. Jimmy doesn't want to see you.'

I replied: 'Arthur, Jimmy just came for his record. I've played every match for seven years. He’s the one who should miss the dinner.' Arthur agreed, and Jimmy didn’t show up for the dinner. We hardly spoke that year," McEnroe first revealed.

But the tensions eased during the final lost against Sweden:

"I saw him cheering me on. But I thought to myself: 'Screw him!'. At the same time, I felt bad because I was playing for my country. Then, we went to dinner, and suddenly he says to me: 'Everything's fine, John.' And I thought: 'What? Certainly not peace!'