"I was beating the hell out of everyone, so he said goodbye": Former World No.1 Marcelo Rios recounts fractious relationship with John McEnroe

Marcelo Rios revealed a strained relationship with John McEnroe after the American said, "he does not belong on the senior tour."

Chilean former world No. 1 had an inconsistent career due to injuries and became known for disputes with various Tour players. Rios eventually retired at the young age of 28 and shortly after entered the veterans' tour, where he managed to become No. 1, being the only player to have held the top spot in juniors, professionals, and veterans.

After disclosing that he was close to coming to blows with Pete Sampras, the Chilean commented that he also does not have a good relationship with another American tennis legend, John McEnroe, due to Rios's dominance in the veterans' tournament, leading McEnroe to eventually expel him:

"He kicked me out of the veterans' tour; he was like the owner who organized it. As I was doing well, he thought I was too young and everything. He told me I couldn't play anymore,” he said.

“I was beating the hell out of everyone, so he said 'goodbye.' I don't talk much with him. When I've run into him, it's like I don't have much to say. It's not that I dislike him, but I hate it when they talk on TV about how I never won a Grand Slam, about this and that, and they kept going on about it. I never got along very well with the Americans," the Chilean added.

In 2006, McEnroe was upset about the entry age for tournaments featuring former legends, as Rios was only 30 years old and won eight consecutive tournaments without much difficulty. At that time, McEnroe, at 47 years old, was one of the favorites in the tournaments, but after criticizing the Chilean, he suffered a defeat with a score of 6-3, 6-2.