John? No. Patrick? Neither. Which one of the McEnroe brothers is the paddle player? There is only one paddle player in the McEnroe family and his name is Mark, also known as Mark, the middle brother or Mark, the lawyer.
“I am probably the best paddle player in the family, but only for a few sets,” Mark claims with a chuckle.
Mark began playing platform tennis when he moved from New York City into Connecticut back in 1997. During the “paddle season” he plays on three different teams on a weekly basis and one or two pick up games here and there. Mark is one of the top players at both the Westchester Country Club and the Stamford Yacht Club paddle teams. Camaraderie, fun, exercise and playing outdoors are some of the main reason why Mark almost devotes his entire winter to playing paddle.
A walk-on as a college player at Stanford, Mark is now the General Manager at Sportime NY at Randall’s Island, a strip of land between Manhattan and Queens. Almost a year after the 18-million dollar facility opened its doors, Mark is interested in adding platform tennis to their first class 20 tennis court complex. He is considering to add a couple of paddle courts to satisfy the need of paddle players who live in the New York City area.
The 2011-2012 could be the first season for Mark and a shot at a National Tournament. He is eligible to play in the men’s 45 and is thinking about giving it a try. Who knows? Maybe he can be the first McEnroe to win a National Platform Tennis Championship. In the mean time, Mark still holds the “title” as the best paddle player in the McEnroe family.
