But Seriously by John McEnroe (audio)
Source: Purchased from Audible Audiobook, 8+ hours I am an Amazon Affiliate
But Seriously by John McEnroe, narrated by the former tennis star, is a look at his life as a tennis commentator and in television, among other things. This is his second memoir, and I caution that I have not read the first one, You Cannot Be Serious. The introduction to this memoir from his current wife, Patty Smyth, is delightful, and I almost wanted more of her.
I thoroughly enjoyed his recaps of his rivalry with Bjorn Borg and his perspective on some of tennis' current greats, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, as well as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Pete Sampras. He does talk about the Williams sisters but not as in depth. The tennis aspects of the story are melded (sometimes not well) with his adventures in television and outside the tennis world -- including his own talk show. It was also fascinating to learn about his stint as an art dealer and buyer.
Because the narrative jumps around quite a bit, McEnroe's memoir feels like it could have used some editing, particularly when he repeats things previously said in other chapters. It is clear from this memoir that he clearly still loves the game of tennis, and even though he's no longer playing competitively, he still gets out on the court from time to time for charity or to just play around. His love of the game is apparent, especially when he comments on major tournaments.
But Seriously by John McEnroe still loves being the center of attention and commands that attention when he's on the sidelines, in the commentator's box, or even in charity events. His temper may have mellowed, but he's still passionate about the sport and a number of other things. The memoir just suffered a bit from his inability to stay on one track or at least connect his train of thought better.
RATING: Tercet