What McEnroe ‘really respects’ about Djokovic, Nadal & Federer | ATP Tour
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What McEnroe ‘really respects’ about Djokovic, Nadal and Federer
Lefty legend McEnroe talks about the meaning of World No. 1 in Dallas
February 15, 2026
Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
John McEnroe spent 170 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By ATP staff
John McEnroe is one of the longest serving members of the ATP No. 1 Club, who has spent 170 weeks at the top of men’s tennis and won four ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finishes. But decades after his retirement, the American continues to learn about the game.
During an interview with ATP Media at the Nexo Dallas Open, McEnroe explained that he “really respects” one thing in particular about Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and more recently Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“They keep pushing. It might be a little late but the lesson I’ve learned is that maybe I should have pushed a little more instead of waiting to see what happens,” McEnroe said. So you learn life lessons as you go through all of these things, over time, that may make you a better person in the end.
The legendary Lefty first became the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings in March 1980,
“The first time I hit No. 1 on the computer was a different time than when I was No. 1 and there was no doubt about it,” McEnroe said. “There was probably a year and a half between what happened in Memphis in February of ’80 to September at the US Open of ’81 when I replaced Bjorn at that time as No.
When McEnroe became the No. 1 his biggest rival, Bjorn Borg, was at the top of the sport. But 1981 would be Sweden’s last full-time season.
“When it happened, it was an unfortunate coincidence as my biggest rival came out and decided I wasn’t going to play anymore. So it was gut-wrenching in a way,” said McEnroe. “That led me to struggle with the feeling that I was getting into something that was a little overwhelming. And it took me a while to figure it out. And when I thought about it, I was still out there finishing No. 1 for the third, fourth year. But then, I raised myself to that level and I was like, ‘Okay, now’ I showed them.”
McEnroe’s final spot at World No. 1 ended in September 1985. More than 40 years later, he is still seventh out of 29 ATP No. 1 members of the Club of the highest levels of sports.
“I appreciated it at the time, but I was also happy to be No. 2 in the world. I had this conversation with Bjorn a little bit,” McEnroe said. “He was like, ‘Look, if you’re not No. I’m going, ‘Oh, [No.] 2 is much better than 100’. So it’s just kind of how you look at it.
“For me, there’s a lot of people out there trying to do their thing. So if you’ve given the best you can and you’re number 5 in the world or you’re 50, whatever it is, the pride you have to take is more than, ‘Okay I’m No. 1 so I have to act a certain way’.
No one will be able to take away what McEnroe has accomplished in tennis and those accomplishments are a big reason why fans still flock to see the New Yorker.
McEnroe said: “For me, in the end, I think being able to say that for a period of three, four years, that I was the best and then there were other years I was one of the top three, which I feel is better as you get older.”
