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
Marshall Goldberg: From the Dream Backfield to First Defensive Specialist
Cardinals’ legend Marshall Goldberg was in the news recently when newly acquired defensive standout
Did Ivan Abadjiev’s Bulgarian Weightlifting Team Really Beat The Soviets?
The Bulgarian Weightlifting team’s success began with the hiring of Ivan Abadjiev as head
The Chicago Cardinals Move to St. Louis!!! But Why? and When?
Any time a city loses a sports team franchise, it initiates years of debate
The Ultimate Recount of Super Bowl IX (Steelers vs. Vikings)
Today we have Super Bowl IX, which was held on January 12, 1975, at
Was Paddy Driscoll the First Superstar of the NFL?
As kids, we all looked up to our favorite athletic heroes. After all, they
The Ultimate Recount of Super Bowl VIII (Dolphins vs. Vikings)
Today we have Super Bowl VIII, between the defending Super Bowl champion Miami Dolphins
The Amazing Search For Jackie Wallace (With Ted Jackson)
Jackie Wallace was an NFL star during the 1970s, playing for the Minnesota Vikings,
Was the Cowboys and Redskins’ Rivalry During the 1970s and 1980s One of the Best?
The Redskins-Cowboys rivalry of the 1970s and 1980s is etched in NFL history. The