Overshadowed by his older brother’s world class performances on the tennis courts of the world, Patrick has settled into a niche that John could not hope to fill, even on his most placid day. Patrick McEnroe has become more than a coach, more than a motivator for Davis Cup players, and more than a TV commentator, he has quietly slipped into a position that was made for him as the USA’s Elite Tennis General Manager and program supervisor. The man on whose shoulders rests the future of US tennis, the man who will decide which young players will be given the support and help of the USTA in their quest to find future stars to represent the US in the Davis and Fed Cups. And by all accounts he is the best man for the job.

Billy Jean King said of Patrick’s appointment, “Patrick is a strong leader and understands the players, the sport and what it takes to build champions. He is a driven man of the highest character, and I look forward to working with him to develop American champions.”

Pete Sampras added his comments by saying, “The USTA made a great choice in selecting Patrick. He is a good friend. A great Davis Cup Captain, and a solid ambassador for the sport of tennis. I will help and support him in any way I can.”

Similar statements were made by just about everyone who is involved in tennis in the USA, all his Davis Cup team members, his big brother, his former coach at Stanford, and Chris Everet who will host many of the young hopefuls at her Boca Raton training facility.

Patrick was a world class tennis player in his own right, and unfortunately for him the younger brother by seven years to one of the greatest players to ever play the game. “It was only natural for people to make the comparison between us, John was a better player than me, it’s a s simple as that,” is how Patrick rationalizes his career. He did win one singles title and sixteen doubles titles including a Grand Slam win at Roland Garros. He was also a member of the Davis Cup team and represented the USA in three consecutive years. He has gone about his business in a quiet professional manner, he has become the voice of tennis on both ESPN and CBS Sports, and with his knowledge and insight to the Australian open tennis players his opinions have earned him the respect and following of countless tennis fans. At 41 he has emerged as the ‘wise old man’ of tennis, even his hair has turned grey, but it is his devotion and love for tennis that has kept his keen analysis of each player sharp and interesting to his viewers and listeners. As you would expect he married his childhood sweetheart Melissa Enrico, a Toni Award winning broadway actress, they have a 2 year old daughter Victoria, and are expecting twins in December. I guess that old adage is true, ‘good things happen to good people’.

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