"I'm not paranoid, but that machine knows who I am" - When John McEnroe criticized a machine for the way it treated him during a match

John McEnroe once claimed that a line-calling machine treated him differently because of who he was. The incident occurred during a match in 1989.

It was the Nobisco Masters tournament (now known as the ATP Finals), and the American was seeded fourth. He faced eighth seed Aaron Krickstein and won a hard-fought match 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

During the clash, McEnroe was unhappy with the then-used Cyclops machine for a few calls it made, and alleged that it knew his identity.

''I'm not paranoid, but that machine knows who I am," the American said.

Speaking about the match, the then-30-year-old said that he started slowly due to the inconsistency of his serve. He also said he was in more danger than he wanted to be in.

"I got off to a slow start, and the big difference was our serves. Mine was up and down. His was consistent. But I got more consistent in the third set. I was in a little more danger than I wanted to be," the American said.

John McEnroe eventually finished second in his group, to reach the semifinals. However, he ended up losing 6-4, 6-4 to eventual runner-up Boris Becker.

John McEnroe won the year-end championships thrice over the course of his career

John McEnroe with Frances Tiafoe at the 2023 Laver Cup

John McEnroe won the season-ending championships thrice during his successful tennis career, the first of those triumphs coming in 1978.

That year, he won an all-American group comprising Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and Harold Solomon before defeating Brian Gottfried to reach the final. There, McEnroe faced Ashe and came back from a set down to win 6-7, 6-3, 7-5.

McEnroe suffered a defeat to Ivan Lendl in the 1982 final, before competing in 1983 as the top seed. McEnroe triumphed over Johan Kriek and Mats Wilander to set up a title clash against Lendl, who he beat 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to win the year-end championships for the second time.

The American beat the then-Czech 7-5, 6-0, 6-4 in the final to defend his title in 1984. He triumphed over Anders Jarryd and Mats Wilander en route the summit clash.

McEnroe won the men's doubles title at the year-end championships seven consecutive times from 1978-1984, with Peter Fleming being his partner.

The American won seven Grand Slam singles titles during his playing days - three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open. He also claimed 10 doubles Majors (nine in men's doubles and one in mixed doubles).