McEnroe believes that Florida’s live-in tennis academies have created an assembly-line sameness to America’s young players and have contributed to the country’s inability to produce big winners on the men’s and women’s professional tours.
In starting the academy, he envisioned talented boys and girls from not only the New York metropolitan area but also from around the country and even abroad coming with their families to “the most stimulating city in the world” to lead normal lives while learning to embrace their individuality and creativity in a sport that demands it at the very highest levels.