It is a perennial refrain: where are the characters in tennis? Who are this generation’s rabble-rousers, our Jimmy Connors, Ilie “Nasty” Nastase, and, the most indulged brat of all, John McEnroe? Where are the psychologically impenetrable enigmas like Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl? Why has the sport become so straitlaced and humourless?
The debate was reignited on the eve of Wimbledon by McEnroe himself. The three-time champion suggested that the rules needed to be changed to make it more exciting. He’d start by removing line judges and have the players decide when the ball was in or out.