McEnroe Elected To Hall Of Fame

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 19, 1999 / 6:55 PM EST / CBS Sportsline

John McEnroe, winner of four U.S. Open titles and three Wimbledon crowns, was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame today.

Also voted into the Hall was Ken McGregor of Australia. He was elected as a Master Player. The two will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at Newport, R.I., July 10.

The youngest player to reach the No. 1 ranking, McEnroe burst onto the tennis scene at the French Open in 1977 when he teamed with Mary Carillo to win the mixed doubles title.

When he wasn't battling officials, McEnroe produced great tennis, starting with well-placed serves and usually ending with sharp volleys.

Equally skilled in singles and doubles, McEnroe won 77 titles in each. Among his 17 major crowns were Wimbledon singles championships in 1981, '83 and '84, and U.S. Open singles titles in 1979-81 and '84.

He paired with Peter Fleming for doubles champinships at Wimbledon in 1979, '81, '83 and '84, and at the U.S. Open in '79, '81 and '83. He teamed with Michael Stich to win Wimbledon in '92 and with Mark Woodforde to capture the U.S. Open in '89.

As a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, McEnroe compiled a 59-10 overall record in 12 years. He was the ATP Tour's Player of the Year in '81, '83 and '84, and he and Fleming won Doubles Team of the Year honors in '79 and '81.

In 1980 at the age of 21 years, 15 days, McEnroe became the youngest player to achieve the No. 1 ranking. During his career, he was the top-ranked men's player for a total of 170 weeks, and finished as the No. 1 player four straight years from 1981-84.

McGregor was an integral member of the 1950 Australian Davis Cup team that ended the United States' four-year possession of the Cup. The Aussies also won the international team trophy in 1951 and '52.

McGregor teamed with countryman and Hall of Famer Frank Sedgman to complete the only male Grand Slam in doubles in 1951, and the duo won three of the four majors the following year. McGregor also won the U.S. mixed doubles championship with Hall of Famer Margaret Osborne duPont in 1950.

In singles, McGregor was ranked in the top 10 from 1950-52 and won the Australian title in 1952, defeating Sedgman in the final.