Tennis great John McEnroe has reflected on his relationship with former president Nelson Mandela, saying bringing joy to the struggle hero during his time in prison was worth more to him than any award he had won.
Speaking to graduates at Stanford University's commencement ceremony at the weekend, McEnroe spoke of how Mandela inspired him.
McEnroe said he was disappointed to lose the 1980 Wimbledon finals to Björn Borg but said that pain was eased when he later learnt that Mandela enjoyed listening to the match on a radio while imprisoned on Robben Island. He said this was a lesson that “you don’t have to win to be part of something that is truly magical”.
“That we gave Mandela a brief respite from the excruciating hell of 27 years of political imprisonment meant more to me than any award I’ve ever won,” McEnroe said.
Speaking on Ruthie's Table 4 podcast earlier this year, he recounted meeting Mandela at the former president's home.
“He said to me as we walked in 'It's an honour to meet you'. I'm like; 'he's not talking to me, is he? Because that is about what I was about to say to him'.
“He was the most beautiful man I ever met. Just his hand, it felt like I was shaking hands with an angel. There was this feeling that I can’t explain.”
He gifted Mandela a wooden racket from Wimbledon.
McEnroe previously told Graham Bensinger he turned down $1m to play Borg in South Africa in the 1980s in protest against apartheid.
“At that time it was worth at least $10m now or more. I feel proud I made that decision at the time. I remember it felt wrong. I thought to myself ‘yeah this is an unbelievable amount of money but there’s a reason they’re offering it — because they’re going to take advantage of me and sort of use that propaganda in a way’. I was 21 but I could get that.
“I wasn’t going to be the pawn in that whole thing. So I took pride in that. It felt wrong. It wasn’t that difficult a decision. I was 21, I didn’t need the money that bad yet. I think that was one of the better decisions that I made in my career,” McEnroe said.
‘That we gave Mandela respite from political imprisonment meant more to me than any award’: John McEnroe
Digital Editor
Image: Arena Holdings archive
Tennis great John McEnroe has reflected on his relationship with former president Nelson Mandela, saying bringing joy to the struggle hero during his time in prison was worth more to him than any award he had won.
Speaking to graduates at Stanford University's commencement ceremony at the weekend, McEnroe spoke of how Mandela inspired him.
McEnroe said he was disappointed to lose the 1980 Wimbledon finals to Björn Borg but said that pain was eased when he later learnt that Mandela enjoyed listening to the match on a radio while imprisoned on Robben Island. He said this was a lesson that “you don’t have to win to be part of something that is truly magical”.
“That we gave Mandela a brief respite from the excruciating hell of 27 years of political imprisonment meant more to me than any award I’ve ever won,” McEnroe said.
Speaking on Ruthie's Table 4 podcast earlier this year, he recounted meeting Mandela at the former president's home.
“He said to me as we walked in 'It's an honour to meet you'. I'm like; 'he's not talking to me, is he? Because that is about what I was about to say to him'.
“He was the most beautiful man I ever met. Just his hand, it felt like I was shaking hands with an angel. There was this feeling that I can’t explain.”
He gifted Mandela a wooden racket from Wimbledon.
McEnroe previously told Graham Bensinger he turned down $1m to play Borg in South Africa in the 1980s in protest against apartheid.
“At that time it was worth at least $10m now or more. I feel proud I made that decision at the time. I remember it felt wrong. I thought to myself ‘yeah this is an unbelievable amount of money but there’s a reason they’re offering it — because they’re going to take advantage of me and sort of use that propaganda in a way’. I was 21 but I could get that.
“I wasn’t going to be the pawn in that whole thing. So I took pride in that. It felt wrong. It wasn’t that difficult a decision. I was 21, I didn’t need the money that bad yet. I think that was one of the better decisions that I made in my career,” McEnroe said.
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