John McEnroe has won the Wimbledon singles crown three times, an impressive effort that puts him near the top of the honours board as one of The Championships' most successful men's players.

But what places him above them all is what he brought to Centre Court: charisma, talent, attitude and purity of shot that made him unforgettable.

His behaviour was often far from exemplary, often inexcusable. He pushed the envelope, as his fellow Americans are wont to say. McEnroe has even admitted that a default or two early in his fiery years at The Championships might have helped him; taught him more about self control and less about raging. Umpires and referees also would have preferred a more tranquil McEnroe.

But there is an animal inside most top sportsmen and women. Many keep it on a tight rein. The ones who attract attention loosen their grip. McEnroe let the animal escape and even booted it up the backside to rile it further. Part of his appeal among tennis fans is still wrapped in letting the animal run wild.

Another attraction was, of course, the style of his game. It was sublime. His delicacy, born of flexible hand and quick brain, amazed crowds and opponents alike and the variety of his play was different from the many one-trick power-players of today.

McEnroe's hawk vision and sharp reflexes enabled him to return the biggest servers early and place the ball in either corner or down the middle.

He performed in arguably the most famous Wimbledon Final, in 1980 against Borg, winning a titanic 20-minute, fourth-set tie-break, before losing the fifth 8-6. Then he returned 12 months later to defeat the Swede and claim his first Wimbledon title.

Rivalries are a key part of sport and McEnroe versus Borg was probably the greatest one in tennis history. Fire and ice.

Sport is a spectacle and it always was with McEnroe the player. He displayed the stresses and strains his supporters were feeling. His heart was always on his sleeve.

His achievements have resonated through the decades and his erudite, often amusing, cut-to-the-chase commentaries of today prove his aura is as strong as ever. He might be seen as a mass of contradictions: his love of Wimbledon, Davis Cup and tennis tradition against his rebel image and fondness for rock music.

But most people, even if they are not tennis fans, have heard of John Patrick McEnroe. You can't say that about a lot of sports personalities.

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