Exchanged a few emails the other day with FFP (Fellow Press Pariah) Doug Robson. He’s emerging as the point man for tennis at USA Today; he’s a terrific, hard-charging reporter—and awesome player—who knows the game inside out. Doug was pitching a story on U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe with an interesting angle—“Little Mac” has emerged over the years to become the most important McEnroe in tennis. Full disclosure here: Pat and I collaborated on the official Tennis For Dummies book.
Say what?
Think about it: Pat has been the U.S. Davis Cup team captain since 2000 and a star commentator for ESPN’s increasingly widespread coverage of the game. Plus, he does the heavy lifting that true ambassadors (think Arthur Ashe) of the game have always performed; it seems that every time you turn around he’s giving a television interview or being quoted somewhere—and the observations are invariably insightful, level-headed and, above all, full of passion and love for the game.
Now contrast that with John’s recent activities. Trading on his fame, he landed a few pretty absurd TV gigs and pretty much stank the place out. His autobiography hit the top of the prestigious New York Times bestseller list, but You Cannot Be Serious did nothing for tennis and everything for John. Big Mac is an excellent commentator on tennis, but that’s it—at least as far as his contribution in the public forum goes (he does have a reputation for relatively generous private giving). And you have to wonder—would John’s commentary be considered so brilliant and indispensable if it were coming from, say, the mouth of a working television stiff rather than a celebrity?
So you tell me, who’s the bigger real-world asset for tennis?
Pat’s latest coup, of course, was convincing Andre Agassi to play Davis Cup in early March. Captain Mac did that the old-fashioned way, the way a principled public servant (think former Secretary of State Colin Powell) might: by setting aside his ego and working with utmost tact and modesty toward achieving his goal. There were two key elements in Pat getting Andre, who has one of the all-time great U.S. Davis Cup records, to play in this upcoming tie: the nature of the team that Pat has built over the past few years and the way he approached Andre. Point one: During McEnroe’s tenure, the team has developed an aura of camaraderie and team spirit. The squad evokes memories of some of the great Davis Cup teams of the past, even though it has yet to reward its captain with a Cup. Pat has laid the foundations for a general U.S. Davis Cup renaissance—if only the pointy-headed newspaper editors who routinely fail to cover the event would realize it!
Point two: Pat had to figure out the right approach to Andre to keep him from feeling pressured to overcommit while sending the general—and accurate—message that the team was delighted to have as much of Andre’s help as he felt he could give (at 34 and with family obligations and a well-thought out plan of attack for the year, Agassi wasn’t willing to embrace the uncertainty and extra work load that comes with a full commitment to Davis Cup).
Here it is, in Andre’s words:
Translation: I see a chance to taste the full Davis Cup team experience.
And then there was the squad leader Andy Roddick’s reaction, when Andre called to inform him about the decision to play:
"I was driving in my car with my friends and I was trying to stay composed with Andre on the phone . . . . Then I hung up the phone and started screaming, kind of let go. I couldn’t be more excited.”
This is going to be an exciting, inspiring tie. And for that we can thank the most important McEnroe in tennis, Patrick.