John McEnroe reveals what inspired his tennis career in brutally honest documentary
A BBC documentary to be shown on the eve of Wimbledon celebrates Super Brat turning 60 earlier this year. Presenter Sue Barker travelled to his home town of New York to speak to his family and friends, including his rock star wife Patty Smyth-McEnroe, about a colourful career which saw him win eight Wimbledon titles in singles and doubles. But he was more notorious for ranting at officials – and he became such a 1980s cultural icon that a singer called Super Brat appeared on Top of the Pops singing his homage “Chalk Dust” in 1982. And McEnroe claimed the pressure to succeed and his temper were closely entwined. “My parents (John and Kay) gave 110%,” he said. “If you got the finals of Wimbledon, it was: ‘Why didn’t you win it?’ If you are no.2, you have got to be 1. That propelled me for a long time but it is also difficult that you feel no matter what you do, it is not enough. “That fear of failure comes out in different ways for different people. A lot of times I take it out on myself, other times there were, believe it or…