McEnroe’s Temper Nearly Costs Him an Open Match

John McEnroe wasn’t pushed to the very edge of U.S. Open elimination by Ivan Lendl or Boris Becker or even Slobodan Zivojinovicn Saturday. He almost took himself out of the tournament with another temperamental outburst.

When watching McEnroe at the U.S. Open, the question is not: Will he blow up? With McEnroe, blowing up at Flushing Meadow is only a matter of time.

McEnroe, once more, came ever so close to departing the National Tennis Center early.

He was just one tantrum, one word, actually, away from being defaulted from his third-round match against Zivojinovic. Finally, McEnroe realized his predicament, shut up and got down to work, defeating the 24-year-old player from Yugoslavia, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, in a four-hour match.

The outburst did cost McEnroe a fine. Ken Farrar, supervisor of officials for the Men’s International Professional Tennis Council, said McEnroe had been fined a total of $7,500 for three violations of the code of conduct. McEnroe, who was fined $350 earlier in the tournament for ball abuse, has 10 days to appeal the fines. If he appeals and loses, he must pay an additional penalty of $10,000 and will be suspended for two months.

His on-court victory moved the No. 8-seeded McEnroe one step closer to a quarterfinal meeting with two-time defending champion Ivan Lendl. Afterward, McEnroe said he was pleased with his game, especially with his return of serve and overall fitness. And Zivojinovic believes McEnroe is playing better than when he was No. 2 in the world two years ago.

Coincidentally, it was against Zivojinovic in the 1985 Australian Open quarterfinals when McEnroe lost a five-setter and lost his composure.

Shortly after that match, after the Masters in 1986, McEnroe took a six-month break from the game and has been struggling to come back ever since.

Here, against Zivojinovic, McEnroe almost beat himself again. The inevitable occured in the second set, with McEnroe leading, 5-3, and serving for the a two-set lead. He became upset over several calls, or, as McEnroe perceived them, non-calls. After McEnroe lost the game, he smashed his racket down on his bag. Chair umpire Richard Ings of Australia gave McEnroe a warning for racket abuse.

For about ten seconds, McEnroe buried his face in his towel during the changeover. Then, he turned toward Ings, and started ranting and raving, as only John McEnroe can do.

“Didn’t you see anything?” he said, yelling. “Couldn’t you see a damn thing? That cost me the set. The set was over, the ball was out . . . “

What McEnroe was referring to was a set point he had at 5-3. During a rally, two of Zivojinovic’s shots near the baseline were not called out and play continued.

To add emphasis, McEnroe threw in a couple of obscenities for good measure, directed at Ings. Ings, a full-time tennis official, assessed McEnroe a point penalty for obscene language. That gave Zivojinovic an automatic 15-0 lead in the 10th game and he held serve to tie it, 5-5. Things continued to unravel as McEnroe double-faulted on break point and lost his serve to fall behind, 5-6.

On the next changeover, McEnroe launched into another tirade.

“Are you trying to set a Guiness book of world records to screw me?” McEnroe asked Ings. “You can’t see a thing, that was set point. I should have won the set, 6-3. What match are you watching?”

Said Ings:”If I see a space between the ball and the line, I’ll call it.”

McEnroe: “Congratulations on this excellent officiating.”

Ings: “I’ve had enough of this conversation. It has nothing to do with me.”

After this exchange, McEnroe calmed down--for what proved to be only a momentary interlude. When the break was over, he walked past the CBS technician, who was holding a courtside microphone.

“Do me a favor and stick that mike up your . . . “ McEnroe said.

Ings reacted once more, giving McEnroe another code violation, which also gave the game and second set to Zivojinovic.

It is believed to be the first time a player has won a set on a game penalty at the U.S. Open.

Although McEnroe settled down and stopped the antics, he seemed unsettled for a bit. Zivojinovic won the third set on another tiebreaker, taking it 7-3. Then, McEnroe started returning serve better. And, he had some help as Zivojinovic double-faulted on break point to give McEnroe a 5-4 lead, and, essentially the fourth set.

By now, McEnroe was pumping his fist after every big point and punching the air for extra emphasis.

Also, U.S. Open history was on McEnroe’s side. He has a 9-0 record in five-set matches at the Open.

In the fifth set, Zivojinovic started moving slower, botched an easy overhead and missed easy passing shots. McEnroe broke him at love in the seventh game when Zivojinovic hit a backhand passing shot on a deep approach by McEnroe.

That ended the suspense as McEnroe held serve and broke one more time in the ninth game at 15.

Afterward, McEnroe seemed almost sorry for his behavior, but in the next breath, he tried to justify it.

“I wish I hadn’t reacted that way because I could have made it easier for myself,” he said. “But unfortunately, I let it get to me. I always seem to make it more difficult for myself.

“On the other hand, the momentum that I carried from the end of this match, you know I feel good that I was able to play a tough five-set match. . . . In that sense it was nice. But really I had a two-sets-to-love lead and I was one bad word or something away from being defaulted. But I’m an old pro in that situation. I’ve been there before.”

Specifically, McEnroe’s fines were $500 for swearing at Ings, $5,000 for a second incident of swearing at Ings, and a $2,000 fine for swearing at the television soundman.

The possibility of the suspension means there is a chance McEnroe would miss the Los Angeles tour stop which is a week after the open ends.