''You Cannot Be Serious'' ( in the U.S., ''Serious'' in the UK) is a book written by the world's former #1
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe Jr. (born February 16, 1959) is an American former professional tennis player. He was known for his shot-making and volleying skills, his rivalries with Björn Borg and Jimmy Connors, and his confrontational on-court beha ...
(with
James Kaplan
James C. Kaplan, Jr. (born September 10, 1951) is an American novelist, journalist, and biographer.
Biography
He was born in New York City and grew up in rural Pennsylvania and suburban New Jersey. He matriculated at New York University and grad ...
).
McEnroe details life behind the scenes on the tennis tour and provides the reader with a very candid look at his personal life and struggles. The book made it to the top of the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' bestseller list.
The hardcover edition was published by G.P. Putnam's Sons in 2002, with the
paperback
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
in the UK. The name of the book comes from McEnroe's famous outburst "You cannot be serious!" from his match against
Tom Gullikson
Tom Gullikson (born September 8, 1951) is a tennis coach and former professional tennis player born in La Crosse, Wisconsin and raised in Onalaska, Wisconsin in the United States.1981 Wimbledon Championships.