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
A Day in the Life of a Retired Indy Car Mechanic
In retirement, do we always seek the refuge of our favorite golf course or
Sports History On This Day: July 27
July 27, 1959 – The game of baseball in New York City had somewhat of
1970 Dallas Cowboys: The Doomsday Defense is Doomed in the End
Once “The Doomsday Defense” kicked in, the Cowboys closed the door on opponents …
Sports History On This Day: July 26
July 26, 1953 – Across the pond of the Atlantic there was the annual Tour de
Sports History On This Day: July 25
July 25, 1902 – James J. Jeffries is an interesting character in boxing history. Big
Sports History On This Day: July 24
July 24, 1908 – There was some controversy at the London Olympic Marathon. American runner
Sports History On This Day: July 23
July 23, 1925 – As a child did you ever imagine yourself crushing that game-winning
Sports History On This Day: July 22
July 22, 1967 – They just couldn’t find their way out or at least the