McEnroe Rallies for 1st Outback Senior Tennis TitlePosted on May 5, 2008 In his 13th career event, 49-year-old John McEnroe won his first Outback Champions Series event Sundya in Boston, coming from behind to defeat fellow American Aaron Krickstein 5-7, 6-3, 10-5 at the Agganis Arena.
During the week McEnroe defeated former American No. 1s Pete Sampras and Jim Courier, handing Sampras his first loss on the senior tour. "For my favorite fan base -- 75-year old women -- this proves to you that you can still be young at an advanced age," said McEnroe, who previously lost finals in Boston in 2006, Newport, R.I., in 2007 and Naples, Fla., in 2008. "I've been playing for a couple of years with frustration and wondering if I was ever going to win again. If you had told me I would have to play Courier and Sampras, I thought I was screwed. Aaron was playing really well, but I found another gear in the tiebreaker. I knew I could win if I played the way I was capable of." The 40-year-old Krickstein said he could not get on top of the McEnroe serve. "I didn't take advantage of second serves," said Krickstein, who was also seeking his first-ever Outback Champions Series title. "I thought John served extremely well in the second set. He got first serves when he needed it. I didn't really have a lot of chances to break." In the third place match, Courier defeated Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 6-4, 6-2. |
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