June 22, 1981 – There are legendary moments in sports history captured on video and then there are iconic ones that are played so much that they are forever embedded into the human brain. It happened this day at the Wimbledon where American tennis star John McEnroe set the prim and proper English tourney on its ear when he had his infamous tirade of ‘You cannot be serious’ rant in 1st round win over Tom Gullikson.
McEnroe was perturbed with a Wimbledon umpire’s line call during the match, with which he obviously disagreed with. McEnroe went on with a few more lines directed at the Ump, but with the politeness of the British umpire Edward James, eventually responded by politely announcing: “I’m going to award a point against you, Mr. McEnroe.”
The line, “You Cannot be serious,” was made famous that day and ended up being the title of a book the tennis great would write years later.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
What is the Longest Championship Drought in Professional Sports?
In honor of Super Bowl week, in this episode of “When Football Was Football,”
The Ultimate Recount of Super Bowl VII (Dolphins vs. Redskins)
Today we have Super Bowl VII, between the NFC champion Washington Redskins and the
Unheralded NFL Games From the 1970s
For every great and historic game in NFL history, there are undoubtedly hundreds of
The Ultimate Recount of Super Bowl VI (Cowboys vs. Dolphins)
Today we have Super Bowl VI, between the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys and the
The 1979 Los Angeles Rams Were A Living Soap Opera
Perhaps no other team throughout the entire decade of the 1970s in the NFL
Five Unusual Historic Tales About the Chicago Cardinals
When a team like the Cardinals has been around for over 120 years, we
Amos Alonzo Stagg: College Football’s Man In Motion
Amos Alonzo Stagg: College Football’s Man in Motion is Jennifer Taylor Hall’s first book.
The Ultimate Recount of Super Bowl V
I’m your host, Tommy A. Phillips, and today we have Super Bowl V, between