Live The Life: John McEnroe

Long before Serena Williams threatened to shove a ball down a linesman's throat, a frizzy-haired kid from Queens was cursing at judges and throwing his racquet on the court. When John McEnroe burned his way to Wimbledon in 1980, a volley of tantrums and sharp slices before him, the world had never seen someone whose ball control was so good and self-control so bad. But it was his long-running war with Bj'rn Borg that cemented his legacy. For anyone who loves tennis, the image of the blonde Swede and McEnroe glaring at each other from across the grass'all headbands, short shorts, and determination'is indelible.

Photography by Jonathan Kambouris