John McEnroe has been moved to tears by Roger Federer‘s tennis. McEnroe openly wept at the glory of the Wimbledon Final between Federer and Rafa Nadal in 2008. McEnroe, like many prone to temper-tantrums, is really a sentimental guy at heart. He loves a beautiful story and really only gets upset when something gets in the way. For McEnroe, that used to mean a bad line call. But this year the thing that stands in the way of the most beautiful story at Wimbledon is a young Canadian named Milos Raonic.
Because Raonic plays Roger Federer in the semifinals — and it’s finally, with Novak Djokovic out of the picture, a Wimbledon Federer could win. At age 34. Impossible, incredible, beautiful. A Federer triumph would no doubt move McEnroe to tears again. (McEnroe has rapturously called Federer the “greatest player that ever lived.”) There’s just one problem. McEnroe, the old sentimentalist, is currently a special consultant to Raonic, hired specifically to help the young man win Wimbledon. So Johnny Mac stands to be deeply conflicted during this Federer-Raonic match, as his heart battles his head. Can McEnroe really root for Raonic? Deep down? With Federer surging for one last title? A last hurrah for the king?
