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
Dick the Bruiser: The Story of “The World’s Most Dangerous Wrestler”
Dick the Bruiser was a force to be reckoned with in and out of
Sports History On This Day: May 16
May 16, 1976 – The Montreal Canadiens win game four to sweep the Stanley Cup
Sports History On This Day: May 15
May 15, 1953 – Legendary boxer Rocky Marciano stepped into the ring in defense of
Sports History On This Day: May 14
May 14, 1913 – Washington Senator pitcher Walter Johnson, had his amazing MLB record of scoreless innings
Sports History On This Day: May 13
May 13, 1905 – World heavyweight boxing champion James J. Jeffries retired undefeated after 7 title defenses.
The Legend of Taro Tsujimoto and the 1974 NHL Draft
Drafts have been going on now in professional sports leagues for decades and occasionally,
Sports History On This Day: May 12
May 12, 1979 – Women’s tennis star Chris Evert Lloyd had her amazing run of 125 matches
Sports History On This Day: May 11
May 11, 1893 – Early bicycle enthusiast, Henri Desgrange, established the very first bicycle world record, traveling