Who Is John Mcenroe Wife

Few names in world sport conjure up images quite like John McEnroe. The American left-hander with the feathery touch and the fiery tongue collected seven Grand Slam singles titles, spent time at world number one, and turned a rivalry with Björn Borg into one of the greatest chapters tennis has ever produced. Yet ask him what he's proudest of and the answer rarely touches a trophy cabinet. Since the late 1990s, the woman beside him has been Patty Smyth — a rock singer with a voice every bit as distinctive as his backhand. So who exactly is she, and how did a tennis hothead end up married to one of the most respected voices of the 1980s?

Who Is Patty Smyth, the Woman Behind the Racket?

Golden larch trees glowing in autumn at Jumbo Pass in the Purcell Mountains, British Columbia, Canada

Born in New York City in 1957, Patty Smyth first made her mark as the frontwoman of the band Scandal, whose early-'80s hits "Goodbye to You" and "The Warrior" became staples of the era's radio playlists. She later built a solo career that produced the achingly beautiful duet "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough" with Don Henley, a track that earned her a Grammy nomination and has been covered countless times since. Anyone who has heard her sing live will tell you the voice has lost none of its power — something New Zealand audiences got a taste of whenever she toured with her husband, who is a keen guitarist himself and has been known to join her on stage. The pair married in 1997, and while the tabloids expected fireworks from two such strong personalities, what followed was something far quieter and far more durable.

A Blended Family and a Marriage That Has Outlasted the Headlines

Sunrise lighting up the peaks of the Purcell Mountains near Radium, British Columbia, Canada

McEnroe's first marriage, to actress Tatum O'Neal, ran from 1986 to 1994 and produced three children: Kevin, Sean and Emily. Patty, meanwhile, brought a daughter, Ruby, from a previous relationship into the fold. Together the couple welcomed two daughters of their own, Anna and Ava, making them parents to six children — a busy household by anyone's standards. Both have spoken openly about how much effort a marriage of that size demands, particularly with two demanding careers and a relentless travel schedule. These days McEnroe is a familiar face in the commentary box at Wimbledon and the other majors, while Patty continues to write, record and perform. They divide their time between the United States and Europe, and are frequently spotted courtside together, usually with McEnroe muttering at a line call and his wife laughing at him.

So, after all the headlines about tantrums and tempers, the answer to the question is refreshingly simple. John McEnroe's wife is Patty Smyth, a genuine rock star in her own right, and the pair have now been married for close to three decades — comfortably longer than most of the careers he once terrorised on court. If that isn't a true love story, nothing is.