Newsreader’s link to famous McEnroe dummy spit
When famously hot-headed tennis player John McEnroe was controversially disqualified from the Australian Open in 1990, one Nine News presenter was closer to the action than she would have liked.
Those who are old enough to remember may recall McEnroe refusing to play until a mother and her crying baby left the arena.
Eagle-eyed caller Terry today asked Jo Hall if she was the mother in question.
“Many years ago I was watching the TV and John McEnroe was acting up and he asked a lady with a baby to leave, was that you?” Terry asked.
“It’s a very distinct memory for me, that’s very very true!” Jo replied.
“We probably stupidly decided to take Tysyn, who was 18-months-old, to the tennis.
“McEnroe, because Tysyn was crying, refused to continue serving until ‘that child’ is removed from the arena.”
Click PLAY below to hear the confession from Jo!
A New York Times report of the match says McEnroe had become distracted by a crying baby while serving the sixth game, with Swede Mikael Pernfors ahead 3-2.
McEnroe yelled, ”Give him a drink, the boy’s hungry,” looking up in the section of the stands where the baby was crying.
Chair umpire Gerry Armstrong asked the parents to take the baby out of the stadium, and it was only after the mother, who we now know was Jo, and baby left, did McEnroe resume play.
He was eventually disqualified from that match for other code violations. See the video below.
(Above: Jo with her twins and Tysyn and below in more recent times)