It's taken me a long time to get to a place where I feel at peace...

As a documentary of his life hits cinemas, tennis great John McEnroe tells RACHAEL DAVIS about the pressure of the sport and the legacy he wants to leave

- RACHAEL DAVIS

WORLD number one in both singles and doubles, a total of 17 Grand Slam titles, the only male player to win more than 70 titles in singles and doubles, and still active in retirement, John McEnroe is one of the best tennis players in history.

However, his fiery temper and on-court tantrums also earned him infamy in the sport. His biography in the International Tennis Hall of Fame recognises his "boisterous outbursts" as prominently as his "considerable skill and finesse".

Now, in McEnroe, a documentary film about his career and life off the court, the veteran sportsman seeks to set the record straight.

It's a revealing look at the man holding the racquet, his hopes, dreams, fears and pressures - both personal and professional - on his journey to become world champion.

The John McEnroe I chat with over Zoom seems a different man from the one we've all seen in video clips shouting 'You cannot be serious!' at umpires.

Silver-haired at 63 years of age, wearing a sharp denim jacket and a T-shirt, he's composed, introspective and remarkably candid in his honesty.

In the documentary directed by Barney Douglas, whose credits include cricket films The Edge and Warriors, John says he was encouraged to be ruthless and intense, not letting his guard down even to enjoy the moment - "and I hated that".

I wonder how different he thinks his career and reputation might have been if he hadn't felt such incredible pressure which he describes in the documentary as a "burden" - both from himself and from others throughout his time on the court.

"That's a good question, and one that's unanswerable for the most part," he responds, clearly having spent some time ruminating on it.