| Few locally raised athletes are more representative of New York than John McEnroe, and as you'd imagine, the tennis legend and opinionated TV analyst has thoughts on the most prevalent topics of the game — from Novak Djokovic to the American men's drought in Grand Slams to Naomi Osaka's comeback.
The Celebrity Row regular at Madison Square Garden also is "totally pumped," by the way, about the Knicks' resurgence behind should-be MVP candidate Jalen Brunson, his minor ankle injury suffered this week notwithstanding.
McEnroe was with his brother, Patrick, the former professional player and broadcaster, at Sportime on Randall's Island on Wednesday. The Douglaston, Queens, natives were there to honor 15 players (six girls and nine boys) from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy who signed their National Letters of Intent to play the sport at the college level.
That makes more than 200 college-bound players since the Academy was founded in 2009. The Johnny Mac Tennis Project Community Program also notably provides more than 1,500 local students with free weekly tennis programs.
"First of all, I think our future is in these community programs, ideally," John McEnroe told Post Sports+. "Because having grown up in the city and having the US Open here in New York, to me the best way to spark that love and interest in our sport is to give as many kids in the city the chance to do it.
"So that's really the main impetus. If one of these kids ends up as the next Serena Williams — and of course, no one is the next Serena Williams — but you get the idea, like, that's the goal, right? Randall's Island, I think, is the perfect spot in between the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan, this idea of what it represents.
 Patrick McEnroe and John McEnroe at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in Randall's Island.
Peter Botte
"So we always get that pleasure on this particular day when the kids are going off to college and you see the kids and their lives hopefully are changing in a positive way, whether it's a kid who gets into Harvard because he played tennis or a kid that doesn't have much or any money and gets a full scholarship somewhere. So the ultimate dream would be to have one of our kids win the US Open one day, but the main goal is to change as many kids' lives in a better way as possible."
Of course, the 64-year-old McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, also shared expansive thoughts on other tennis topics of the day, as well as a few on his beloved Knicks.
Thankfully, we don't have the same space constraints in this newsletter as we do in the print version of The Post, so here are McEnroe's mostly unedited answers to these five pressing questions:
How much longer can 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic, at 36, remain at the top of the game?
"I just want to say for the record I don't know the answer to that. It was like how long can Tom Brady still win Super Bowls, right? And we were like, 'How the hell did he do this in his 40s?' So it's almost like you assume that they'll keep doing it.
"But then he looked human in the semis of the Australian [Open in a four-set loss to Jannik Sinner]. And then suddenly it's like, 'OK, is he gonna even win another one?' You know? So you go from one extreme to the other. I was one of those that went from he's going to win everything to not winning again.
 Novak Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open to start the calendar year.
Getty Images
"So, I don't think anyone wants that. But at the same time, it's a breath of fresh air in a way that you see some young kids finally stepping up. So, the answer is, I would suspect there's still a few more.
"But I believe tennis is tougher because you're out there on your own. It's like LeBron, he's kind of like LeBron James, but LeBron has a team. Not that what he's doing isn't amazing also. They're all amazing. So, but you look at LeBron James, he's 39. How the hell is he still playing and at that high level and still is that athletic? And I look at Djokovic the same way: How the hell is he still doing this at this level? He almost looked better than ever. But I will say that [in Australia], that's the first time in years that he looked mortal."
So who's next? Is it Carlos Alcaraz or Sinner, or someone else?
"I said this after [Pete] Sampras reached 14 [Grand Slam titles]: I didn't see somebody breaking that, and then there's three guys [Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer] that got 20 or more, which was unheard of.
"So, to me, it's going to be broken up more. It's gonna be a bunch of guys. I think Sinner and Alcaraz are at the top of the field and will win, to me, more than almost anyone else in this generation. But how many that is, I don't know. If you got to 10, that would be amazing to me.
 Patrick and John McEnroe honor 15 players from the John McEnroe Tennis Academy who signed National Letters of Intent to play tennis at the collegiate level.
Peter Botte
"Hopefully, someone like Ben Shelton, some of our guys, the Americans, will step up. [Frances] Tiafoe lost in five sets in the semis of the US Open to Alcaraz, and he could have won that tournament. Sinner had match point in that tournament against Alcaraz. So things could change, but obviously for us, in America, I think we need that big time, like someone to break [the drought], and Shelton would be the most obvious choice."
Since you brought it up, it's been more than 20 years since Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a major at the 2003 US Open. Who do you think will be the next?
"For me right now, I would say Shelton. He also represents the closest to what I talk about here in the academy, someone who played other sports until his teenage years, someone who went to college for a couple of years, someone who's got some real personality, and someone who is just a great story for a lot of reasons. So I'm hopeful for him.
 Patrick McEnroe and John McEnroe watch Ben Shelton, whom John McEnroe said he can see being the next American man to win a major, practice at of the Laver Cup.
Getty Images
"And a guy like Sebastian Korda, his father [Petr] played, his mother [Regina Rajchrtova] was on the tour, his sisters play professional golf, and he has a lot of talent. But it's whether he has that fire. It's like [Tiafoe], I've always loved Frances as a person, but you need that killer instinct. Does he have that? And so those are questions that we don't know the answer to. Hopefully, we'll see the breakthrough, because I think if someone breaks through, you'll see more players believing they can do it."
And on the women's side, she lost early in Australia, but do you believe Naomi Osaka will make it all the way back after taking time off for a mental break and to have a baby?
"Well, I think that's another very tough question. She's not the first person in sports that's struggled with mental health and dealing with all of that. But she was really at the forefront of it, and it was a really important time for it, when it was COVID and everyone was on lockdown and that almost was worse in a way, as it turned out. So now she's talked about it so much, to me, personally, every time I see her you're like, 'Are you OK?' Did she look OK, as opposed to just being out there competing?
"So I suppose we have to see if she goes for a couple of years where on a regular basis she's out there competing, and you see that she's able to do that. She's won four majors, and she's young [26]. She's a mom, but now others have shown that moms can win majors. It doesn't mean you're not going to win. A few players have done that now. I certainly think and we all know that she's got the ability. But it's all about how she's able to handle this, because there's been a lot of scrutiny.
 John McEnroe believes Naomi Osaka has the ability to win another major after taking a break from tennis for 15 months.
AP
"I feel in that way, it's like with Simone Biles, when she goes and does the Olympics this year, it's gonna be like, you're looking at everything much more closely and carefully, which to me makes it harder. Hopefully, for Naomi's sake, she'll find that sort of fire and peace at the same time that you have to have to compete at the highest level."
Totally unrelated, you've been a staple courtside at Knicks games for years, even during the lean years. What is your excitement level right now?
"Like most people were, I truly thought we were getting there, but were probably a player short. And then recently, when that trade was made with Toronto, something just clicked to take it to that next level. You're like, well, wait a minute, we actually can beat these teams. All of a sudden [the 76ers' Joel] Embiid is hurt, and Milwaukee is in turmoil. Why can't we beat these teams? To me, right now, we are one of the top five or six teams in the NBA. We could do it, potentially, with a couple things going right.
"Of course, that remains to be seen because obviously [Julius] Randle got hurt, and he was hurt in the playoffs last year. Is he gonna be OK? And when? But the energy is better than it's been in years. I'm more pumped up than I've been in 20 years. And I think most people are.
 John McEnroe talks with Knicks legend Bill Bradley while courtside at a game earlier this season.
Getty Images
"They're like a little of a throwback, even though you look at the scores and it's like 135-131 because that's how the game is played now. They're playing hard, but you remember the old days when you had [Patrick] Ewing and [Pat] Riley, and it was like 86-78 every night.
"But like I said, I'm pumped up. And I really love [Jalen] Brunson. I didn't realize he was this good. I knew he was good. I saw him in the playoffs with Dallas. I'm like, my God, this guy's unbelievable. He's gotta be an MVP candidate, top-5 in the league for me. But he's also not a big guy, and I saw he rolled his ankle [Tuesday] night. I'm supposed to go to the game [Thursday against the Mavericks], and I was pumped to see that, so hopefully he's OK. I was away for a bit because I was in Australia, but I'm totally psyched with them."
Today's back page  New York Post
Deadline day As the undermanned Knicks already await the injury returns of Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Quentin Grimes and eventually perhaps Mitchell Robinson, they also have listed heartbeat point guard Jalen Brunson as questionable for Thursday's home game against the Mavericks — with a profound sigh of relief — with the twisted ankle he suffered in Tuesday's win over the Grizzlies.
When you consider Anunoby was acquired in the deal that sent RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Raptors, that's all five starters for the Knicks from the season opener who are gone, unavailable or at least banged-up.
 Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was diagnosed with an ankle sprain on Wednesday and was listed as questionable for Thursday night's game against the Mavericks.
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Team president Leon Rose gets his last chance to deal for reinforcements ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, though there also might be the possibility of adding to the roster on the buyout market later in the season.
Players such as ex-Knick Alec Burks, Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk and Malcolm Brogdon could provide scoring punch off the bench and be stopgap players until the injured players return.
Bruce Brown is another player the Knicks have been linked to — and he campaigned publicly in The Post a few weeks ago, referring to himself as a Tom Thibodeau-type player — but he's not an instant-offense scorer like the aforementioned players.
Halftime wishes We've come a long way from Up With People, various marching bands and other boring acts that used to perform at halftime of the Super Bowl.
My personal favorites were Prince (2007), U2 (2002 after 9/11), Rihanna (last year), Dr. Dre and the other hip-hop legends (the year before) and Michael Jackson (1993). Of course, no one ever will forget the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake combination, albeit not all for musical reasons.
But there are plenty of massive acts who haven't yet taken center stage at intermission, most notably the most famous football fan on the planet, Taylor Swift.
My musical tastes would like to see acts such as Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters get that opportunity one day, and it's surprising to think that neither Billy Joel nor Elton John have performed, which makes for intriguing dueling pianos suggestions over the next few years.
 Usher is set to take the stage for the Super Bowl 2024 halftime show.
Getty Images
Swift, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Adele, Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles also seem like eventual no-brainers.
And here's one more genius wild-card suggestion that a former colleague once brought up: Weird Al Yankovic. Yup, I said it.
Especially after the wacky biopic that came out last year starring Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame, I guarantee it would be one of the most fun halftime shows ever.
What we're reading 👀 🏒 That's three in a row for the Rangers and three in a row for Jonathan Quick (hmm!) after a 3-1 victory at the Garden over the Lightning. With the goals coming from Jimmy Vesey and Jonny Brodzinski, the Rangers' bottom six made a statement, The Post's Larry Brooks writes.
🏈 The Giants are trying to smooth things over after a turbulent month and gave offensive coordinator Mike Kafka a promotion (cough, more money) as he sticks around.
🏀 The Nets' approach to the NBA trade deadline could be modest, with the team in buyer and seller mode on role players.
🏈 Brandon Aiyuk, the explosive 49ers receiver set to introduce himself to a global audience on Sunday, could be a trade target this offseason for the Giants and Jets.
⚾ The remaking of the Yankees bullpen has included a definite emphasis on ground-ball guys.
⛳ LIV Golf is attempting to draft off the Super Bowl by staging its tournament this week in Las Vegas. Fans are "loving the vibe and how hip it is," Phil Mickelson told The Post's Mark Cannizzaro, in a super-hip way.
⚾ In all the Dodgers hype, don't forget about the defending NL champion Diamondbacks. The Post's Joel Sherman visited with their GM in Arizona.
⚽ The 23-woman USWNT roster for the upcoming Gold Cup contains seven (!) Gotham FC players.
🏀 Bad news for the Liberty: Candace Parker is returning to the Aces for their three-peat bid. Bad news for the WNBA: Elena Delle Donne is set to sit out the season over what's functionally a franchise-tag stalemate in Washington.
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