Two of the greatest. In the tennis world, these two competitors could not be outdone. In the 70s I watched these men wield their racket to effortlessly send the ball across the courts. In the 70s I also made (feeble) attempts to do same. I never possessed strength enough to consistently maneuver the ball in the direction deemed necessary. Owing, I am certain, to the fact that I have not an athletic bone in my body. No upper body strength. Tennis requires speed, agility and accuracy. I recall one occasion when I was playing in an informal match with students in the same recreational class. I played against a young man. I won. I strutted off the court like a peacock, feathers displayed. Well, that was my first, and only, tennis strut. A fluke really. A brief moment of glory.
So there was “nasty” Nastase, from Romania. The clown, the jokester. And right beside him, John McEnroe throwing another tantrum…throwing another racket…throwing another chair. Love these two! The two most entertaining tennis players. That’s when tennis was fun to watch.
Oh, I appreciate the Williams sisters. But altogether too serious. Let’s have a little levity. Let’s have Nastase & McEnroe.
Both of these men were very good at what they did.