John McEnroe’s wife, Patty Smyth, has revealed all about their secret to such a long and successful marriage.
The pair tied the knot in 1997 and share two children, Anna and Ava McEnroe.
Smyth was a singer-songwriter for the rock band Scandal at the time, whereas McEnroe was a seven-time Grand Slam winner.
They seemed to be opposite ends of the spectrum, other than their brash and outlandish nature typified by McEnroe’s on-court antics.
John McEnroe and Patty Smyth share two children
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Speaking to People in 2020, Smyth detailed the secrets to their success in such a long-term marriage.
“For me, it was a superstition thing," Smyth explained. "I didn't want to be like, 'Hey, look at us, we're this happy couple.' I just thought if I kept it on the down-low, I had this gut feeling that we would stay together.
“If I threw it out to the world, then we wouldn’t, because I've seen that happen so many times. That [reality show] probably would have broken us up, I bet you."
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The pair have been married since 1997
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Both McEnroe and Smyth had experience in other marriages that didn’t work out.
Smyth tied the knot with fellow American singer-songwriter Richard Hell of Neon Boys in 1985, but this lasted just two years.
McEnroe shares three children with actress Tatum O’Neal, whom he married in 1986 for eight years.
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His current wife, though, insisted on her surprise at keeping feelings for one person for as long as 28 years, as she has done with the former world no 1 tennis player.
She continued: “Twenty-something years later, I'm like 'Wow', I still have these feelings when I see him. Never did I think that I would ever be with somebody for this long... I think we got very lucky.”
In his typically cheeky and eccentric manner, McEnroe was keen to correct Smyth she had forgotten something.
"You're forgetting the most obvious one," McEnroe said.
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John McEnroe is currently on the BBC's Wimbledon coverage
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Smyth then added: "Sex. You've got to keep the sex going!”
Supremely successful on the court, boasting 77 singles titles, McEnroe was equally brilliant in doubles, holding the no 1 rank for 269 weeks and winning 78 tournaments.
Off the court, though, McEnroe didn’t feel like a partnership would be his future - until he met Smyth.
In 2018, the 66-year-old said: “I was 35 years old when we started to go out, and at that time I thought I don't want any more kids, I don't want to have another marriage.
"I just want to go out with some young girls who don't want to do anything but have a good time, and then Patty came along. It gave me a second lease on life, and she doesn't get thanked enough.
"[Smyth] has allowed me to do my thing. She makes me more whole and a better person. I like to think we work as a team and we've made each other better, the sum of the two of us is better than individual parts."
The absence of a high-profile relationship, plus a healthy sex life, has clearly been a successful recipe for McEnroe and Smyth’s off-field partnership.
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