TENNIS ROUNDUP : McEnroe Goes Off on Camera, Wins

It was John McEnroe at his best, and worst.

McEnroe fought off Thierry Guardiola, 6-7 (8-6), 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), and attacked a television camera Thursday during a 3-hour 12-minute match in the Volvo International at New Haven, Conn.

Afterward, McEnroe indicated incidents such as pushing over the ESPN camera may push him into an early retirement.

“Because if you can’t channel your energies in a more positive way and enjoy it, it’s just kind of ridiculous to go out there and put myself in a position where I end up doing something stupid,” he said. “It’s just not necessary. I don’t need it and tennis doesn’t need it.

“This could be like an unbelievable joy ride, and sometimes I make it more difficult for myself. It doesn’t really have to be that way.”

In other matches, top-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden overpowered Buff Farrow, 6-3, 6-1; second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia defeated Bryan Shelton, 6-3, 7-5; third-seeded Michael Chang ousted Gianluca Pozzi of Italy, 6-3, 6-3, and fifth-seeded Ivan Lendl beat Shuzo Matsuoka, 6-3, 6-4.

McEnroe said that after hitting a ball into the net he meant to simply push the camera up, not tip it over. He apologized to the cameraman two sets later.

ATP supervisor Mark Darby said McEnroe will be fined between $500 and $5,000.

“I hope it doesn’t take away from how well both of us played in the match because I felt it was a great match,” McEnroe said.

McEnroe may have been a little cocky at the start against Guardiola, ranked No. 131 in the world.

“Rather than thinking that because I’m John McEnroe I should be beating this guy, 6-4, 6-4, I should have been playing point by point. And that’s one of my biggest disappointments right now,” he said.

The TV camera incident occurred during the first-set tiebreaker. With the score tied, 5-5, McEnroe hit Guardiola’s passing shot into the net and then pushed over the camera.

Most people in the crowd, which had been solidly behind McEnroe, booed loudly, then cheered when Guardiola’s passing shot won the set. Throughout the rest of the match the fans booed McEnroe at times and cheered him at others.

McEnroe won 15 consecutive service points during one stretch in the third set and pulled out the victory. Guardiola made five unforced errors in the final set, appearing to run out of steam.

Jimmy Connors upset fifth-seeded Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, 6-3, 6-2, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Hardcourts at Indianapolis.

In other third-round matches, top-seeded Jim Courier defeated David Engel of Sweden, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, second-ranked Pete Sampras beat Todd Witsken, 6-4, 7-5, and Mo. 3 Boris Becker downed No. 13 David Wheaton 7-6 (9-7), 6-3.

Patricia Hy, Canada’s top-ranked player, reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open with a 6-3, 6-3 upset of fifth-seeded Katerina Maleeva at Montreal.

Top-ranked Monica Seles beat Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan, 6-1, 6-2; second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario defeated Amanda Coetzer of South Africa 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, and third-seeded Mary Joe Fernandez beat Natalia Zvereva of Belarus, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).