The Most Well Known Tennis Freak Outs

This MTG blog posts is on some of the biggest tennis meltdowns. This was definitely a tough article to write since there were so many meltdowns to choose from. It is interesting to see that even some of he most well composed players lose their cool sometimes, after all they are only human. Our top meltdown lineup includes the more well known tantrums throwers: Andy Roddick, Victor Troicki, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe.

During the Quarter Finals of the 2001 US Open  a young 19 year old Andy Roddick was playing 20 year old Lleyton Hewitt in a grueling match. At this time Roddick was raked 18 and Hewitt was ranked number 4. The score was 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 4-5 and Roddick was serving. The umpire then over ruled a call that many people believe to be a clear winner. Ironically, the ball was all the way on the other side of the court and the umpire did not overrule any shots during a 3+ hour match. Roddick was extremely upset and yelled at the umpire which earned him a warning for umpire abuse. Roddick eventually lost the match 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 and many believe that the umpire’s overrule impacted Roddick’s level of playing.

Victor Troicki is known for possibly having some of the best freak outs in tennis. Troicki is a Serbian player and his greatest career achievement was being ranked No. 12 in June 2011, he is currently ranked No. 43.  Watch his three top meltdowns, not only is his reactions funny, but the patience the umpires exhibit is rather entertaining.

The next tirade on our list is Jimmy Connors’, on his 39th birthday Connors played Aaron Krickstein in the 4th round of the US Open. This match is also part of Jimmy Connors’ “Magical US Open Run.”  During the 5th set Connors was down 2-5, but somehow made a comeback. Connors won the match 3-6, 7-6(8), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), Krickstein believes this match is one of his worst losses in his career. It is unfortunate because Krickstein was a very accomplished player but, is only known for his loss to Connors at this US Open match. Krickstein claimed that 10 years after the match someone recognized him at a Bruce Springstein concert and said “Tough loss yesterday” referring to the Connors-Krickstein match.

Last, but not least, John McEnroe’s tennis tantrums. McEnroe’s outbursts were so well known that he coined the term “You cannot be serious!” Interestingly, McEnroe knows his tantrums helped to make him a well known tennis player. However he says “It would be an amazing day when someone didn’t come up to me and say ‘You cannot be serious!'” Some tennis players frowned upon McEnroe for his outbursts viewing them as unprofessional in the sport. McEnroe often felt that the whole crowd was against him when he was playing in the UK.

Staying mentally strong during tennis matches is extremely important, stay tuned for our article on the Psychology of Tennis! Are you ready to play more tennis, maybe practice not having tantrums? Try using My Tennis Group to schedule your matches, because less time scheduling means more time for playing!

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