American tennis legend John McEnroe was not in the mood to take photos with a fan in Melbourne Airport following the end of the Australian Open on the weekend
John McEnroe is well known for his temper(Image: Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images)
John McEnroe told a young fan to “go f*** yourself” after losing his patience while being pestered in an airport. McEnroe was travelling through Melbourne Airport after the Australian Open when he lost his temper.
The 66-year-old American was working at the Grand Slam tournament as a commentator, watching Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to the men’s singles title on Sunday. He headed to the airport on Monday to leave Australia, but the trip ended on a bitter note.
McEnroe was known for his explosive temper as a player, becoming one of the original bad boys of the 1980s, and it seems that element of his personality is still alive and well. He was caught on camera having a tetchy interaction with a fan while moving through the airport.
The footage showed McEnroe getting his bags out of a car before being ushered through the airport by security. Throughout the clip, he is being hassled by a fan, who is desperately asking for an autograph and a photo.
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“Not right now mate,” McEnroe said when first approached. “Can I get a photo at least?” the fan responded. The American moved off quickly with his suitcase and a guitar on his back, adding “hold on, wait a sec” as the fan followed him down the pavement.
“Do you need a hand with any of your bags?” the young fan offered. McEnroe fired back sternly: “I need you to stay away from me, OK?”
Undeterred, the fan followed the tennis legend through the airport, continually asking for a photo. “Just get away, OK? Can we stop him? Everyone stop, time’s up,” McEnroe grumbled.
The fan then tried to take a selfie with an irate McEnroe in the background as someone can be heard saying to “respect his space”. The fan did not get the hint and asked once again: “Can I just get a photo, please?” McEnroe replied: “Will you stop!? Stop! Jesus Christ! Are you kidding me?”
As McEnroe finally escaped, the fan said: “I still love you John.” He replied succinctly: “Go f*** yourself!”
McEnroe remains one of the biggest stars in tennis, having won seven Major titles during his stellar playing career. But he is best known for his fierce competitiveness and rivalries with Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, as well as his anger on the court.
Back in 1984, he was defaulted from a match at the Australian Open after abusing officials and smashing his racket repeatedly. The same thing happened at the 1987 Stockholm Open and McEnroe was continually fined throughout his career, which ended in 1994 in singles.
He has since embraced commentary, appearing around the world as a co-commentator and pundit, including on the BBC for Wimbledon, where he has to watch his language.
