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
Mike Utley: Former Detroit Lions Player Fights to Find a Cure For Paralysis!
This week I talk with former Detroit Lions player, Mike Utley. Mike suffered a
Should These Five Former NFL Head Coaches Be In The Hall of Fame?
It must be noted that I wrote this article in March of 2018, before
Boxers vs. Wrestlers Matches Over The Years (Who Prevails?)
In this segment, I am going to focus on Boxer vs Wrestler matches that
Super Bowl XXV (Bills vs. Giants): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXV, which was held on January 27, 1991, at
G.O.A.T Debates: Who Were The Greatest NFL Players Of All-Time?
Is it just me? Is anyone else getting tired of the endless debates about
The Greatest Thanksgiving Game In Pro Football History (1974 Cowboys vs. Redskins)
There have been some really great pro football Thanksgiving Day games throughout the course
Bears vs. Cardinals: NFL’s Oldest Rivalry
It began over 100 years ago. An intense rivalry between two NFL teams like
Super Bowl XXIV (Broncos vs. 49ers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game
Today we have Super Bowl XXIV, which was held on January 28, 1990, at