Virginia Wade, John McEnroe and Tim Henman met Queen Consort Camilla at Wimbledon in 2013. (Image: Getty)
The soon-to-be-published New Year Honours List is unlikely to capture attention, after the tennis legend expressed scathing views on the monarchy during .
Despite winning three singles titles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in SW19, McEnroe, 65, is no fan of the pomp and ceremony surrounding the Royal box, slamming the tradition of bowing to royals as “the class system gone mad”.
In his 2017 autobiography But Seriously, the American tennis great questioned why players should show deference to minor royals, arguing that it is the players who deserve recognition for their hard work and achievements.
McEnroe wrote: “As for all the bowing and the curtsying – and we’re not just talking about the Queen here, we’re talking about some pretty minor royals – what was that all about?
“This was the class system gone mad, the opposite of a meritocracy where hard work is rewarded and people are respected because they’ve actually done something, not because they’ve been born on the right side of the tracks.
“Who were the performers here? The players, right? So why were they bowing to someone else when they were about to provide the entertainment? Those people in the Royal box should think about bowing to them.”
John McEnroe has a brutal opinion of the royal family and its involvement with Wimbledon. (Image: Getty Images)
The New Year Honours list, set to be unveiled before the year’s end, will see a host of stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment, as well as key political figures and everyday heroes, bestowed with titles such as knighthoods and MBEs.
Reports have suggested that former football head coach .
name continues to be mentioned with the same title while Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has been tipped to be acknowledged.
Meanwhile, McEnroe’s comments about , where he won three titles and 59 out of 70 matches, have raised eyebrows given his well-known affection for the tournament.
The outspoken New Yorker clinched his first title in 1981, defeating Bjorn Borg, and went on to win two more championships, as well as five doubles titles, before making his final appearance on the SW19 grass in 1992.