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Not McEnroe too Three-time champ say he may not return as player
Posted: Monday July 05, 1999 10:27 AM
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- First it was Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. Now John McEnroe says he probably has played his last match at Wimbledon. The three-time former singles champion, who plays mainly on the Seniors Tour but teamed up with Steffi Graf in the mixed doubles, said he was disappointed he didn't finish off with a title. He and Graf, playing together for the first time, moved smoothly through to the semifinals. But the 30-year-old German, who was still in contention for her eighth singles title, withdrew to avoid aggravating a thigh muscle injury. McEnroe described her withdrawal as "like a punch in the stomach." "I would like to have had one last chance but when Steffi Graf withdrew, it had gone," McEnroe wrote in Monday's edition of the Daily Telegraph. "This is probably my last Wimbledon as a major factor. Maybe no one cared but I care. My kids were here, they cared. "It was great that they were here because, as bad as I felt, they made me fee better. I hugged them afterwards, they said they were proud of me, it was a beautiful moment," McEnroe wrote. "I wanted to try and win the championship and what happens still feels like a punch in the stomach," McEnroe wrote. "It's really hard to speak about it. It didn't feel as though I said a proper goodbye." The same could be said to Graf who only announced after her defeat in the final to Lindsay Davenport that she wouldn't be returning. At least Becker's farewell had been announced well in advance and he received a standing ovation from the fans on Centre Court after reaching the fourth round only lose in straight sets to No. 2 seed Pat Rafter.
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