Tennis stars are back on the centre court at Wimbledon means fans of John McEnroe can catch him in the commentary box alongside fellow tennis legends Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Pat Cash, Tracy Austin, Tim Henman, and Annabel Croft.
But behind the scenes, the American former athlete is a proud dad of six. Though John's kids don't occupy the limelight in the way their father did at the peak of his 16-year-long pro tennis career, they are his doubles, and one is even a Netflix star.
The tennis star, who has won 77 career singles titles and 77 doubles titles, was married to Oscar-winning actress Tatum O'Neal from 1986 to 1994, with whom he shares Kevin, 39, Sean, 38, and Emily, 34. Later, he married rock singer Patty Smyth, who gave birth to their daughters Anna, 29, and Ava, 26.
Join HELLO! in meeting John's brood...
© GettyHe went on to marry rock singer Patty Smyth who gave him daughters Anna, 28, and Ava, 25. Join HELLO! in meeting the tennis champ's six grown-up children…
Kevin
© GettyJohn's eldest son Kevin grew up in the family home in New York before graduating from Columbia University with a Master of Fine Art qualification. He released a novel, Our Town, in 2016 which "captures the disillusion at the fringes of Hollywood as seen through a haze of drugs, alcohol, abuse, and fallen aspirations."
© GettyIt is likely that Kevin pulls from the experiences of his mother Tatum O'Neal, who experienced an addiction to heroin. In an interview with People, the author opened up about his mother's addiction after she experienced a near-fatal drug overdose and stroke in 2020.
© Getty"I can’t believe I get to see that person," Kevin said, speaking of his mother in 2023. "The person I always knew was in there."
Sean
© GettySean has kept his life as an adult rather private, bar an interview he did with People when he married Niamh McEnroe in 2021 in Sedona, Arizona. The pair shared that Niamh had sadly experienced a miscarriage, causing them to want to keep their marriage private for longer than expected.
Sean also revealed that his wife had been there for him during "one of the worst breakdowns of [his] life".
"I don’t remember exactly what set me off, but it was something related to my family and traumas from my childhood," he recalled. "It was one of the most challenging emotional experiences I’ve ever had.
© InstagramHe continued: "Niamh gave me a foundation of faith and hope, through her resolute unwavering example, a rooted foundation that I wasn’t even close to having at the time."
Emily
© InstagramEmily followed in her mother's footsteps in pursuing a career in acting. The tennis star's eldest daughter made her acting debut in the feature film Futra Days, before starring as Scarlett Johansson's voice double for Netflix's Ghost In The Shell.
The actress frequently shares photos with her family on Instagram and appears to live with her partner, Timothy J Mass.
Anna and Ava
© GettyJohn has been spotted with his youngest daughters Anna and Ava. Anna was her father's double when the duo attended the Chicago Bulls v New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in 2019.
She earned a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Southern California before getting a Juris Doctorate from the School of Law at Fordham University. She now works as a litigation strategist at Dubin Research and Consulting.
© GettyMeanwhile, Ava was the spitting image of her dad when she showed off her shared sporting interest at a basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center in 2016.
© GettyAva went on to dye her dark hair blonde and was seen singing on stage with her dad on guitar at Citi Taste of Tennis celebration at the Tavern On the Green in New York City three years ago.
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She followed in her sister's footsteps, gaining a Bachelor's Degree in American Studies before going on to study Law at NYU.
Ruby
© InstagramJohn is also a stepfather to Patty Smyth's daughter, Ruby, whom she shares with punk-rocker Richard Hell. He came into Ruby's life when she was nine but he has been open about how he approached parenting her.
"You have to sort of try to think about that, how hopefully I can try to treat her as much as possible, the same as all the other kids. How is she going to view it? How am I going to deal with it?,"John told In Depth with Graham Bensinger in 2018.
Ruby has a master's degree in secondary education and teaching from Bard College and has previously worked as a production assistant for Wimbledon and the French Open.
