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
Monday Night Football Early Years (1970 – 1973)
On September 21, 1970, the first Monday Night Football game featured the 1964 NFL
John Henry Johnson and the Million Dollar Backfield
Once, during a Super Bowl halftime interview, the legendary Jim Brown said that this
Why CasinosAnalyzer Is the Go-To Platform for Transparent Casino Rankings
In a digital landscape where more than 3,500 online casinos compete for attention, players
Dogecoin Casinos and Sports Culture in the Streaming Era
Sports history used to live in box scores, radio calls, and grainy highlight reels.
Searching for the “Zest” of the 1931 Chicago Bears
Throughout the history of professional football, every so often you might notice a club
1973 Atlanta Falcons – Best Season In First Decade Of Existence
The Atlanta Falcons joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1966. Like most
Fanatics Raises the Bar for Sportsbooks with New Prediction Platform
The sports betting industry, which has taken the world by storm over the past
Top 6 Types of Wild Symbols In Online Slots
Wild symbols are a standard feature in many online Slots. They act as substitutes