"Never Have I Ever" Creator Mindy Kaling Says John McEnroe's Narration Was Inspired By Her Childhood
Fans of Never Have I Ever have certainly fallen in love with the show's cast and its refreshing coming-of-age story. While Devi and her BFFs are the stars of the show and viewers have been obsessed with what happens next to them, there's also one major person who is involved that is not even seen, but only heard, throughout the series. John McEnroe, the show's narrator, is absolutely hilarious and fun as he tells the story of Devi's life. However, viewers who know all about him might be super confused about why he's the narrator in the first place.
So you might be wondering why he's the narrator? And why is he super famous? Here's everything you need to know John McEnroe from Never Have I Ever.
Who is John McEnroe?
John McEnroe is a tennis legend. Just like Devi, he has a bit of a temper when it comes to things not going his way. Throughout his career, he became known for his outbursts against umpires and other players. He also threw his racket on the ground when he was angry, causing them to stop the game to get a new one. His biggest controversy happened during the Grand Prix tennis Stockholm event in 1984, his fight against the umpire caused him to be suspended for 3 weeks. However, his tennis skills have allowed him to be considered one of the greatest of all time and he even went on to win the whole event.
He has won seven Grand Slam single titles and nine in doubles. Through his career, John has held the number one ranking in both singles and doubles. He was the Association of Tennis Professionals' Player of the Year in 1981, 1983, and 1984. John retired in 1994 from singles tennis and in 2006 from doubles. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1999.
John has written a number of best-selling books and is the founder and co-director of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, along with his brother and former doubles partner, Patrick. He also works as a tennis commentator for various outlets.
Why is John McEnroe the narrator of Never Have I Ever?
It might seem completely weird that John McEnroe was chosen to be the narrator for this series, but series co-creator Mindy Kaling revealed that it actually came from her own experience growing up with her father.
"We were picked up before we had written the pilot. So we had this idea of, you know there there's a certain kind of immigrant dad...and there's an American icon that he latches on to. And for my dad that was Tom Brady. We just thought that it would be great if the way that an Indian father tried to relate to his Indian-American daughter was through the lens of this American that he trusted and thought was great," Mindy said at a private Netflix YA luncheon back in February. "And John I think was very puzzled when we approached him. He has an artsy side, so he was intrigued by it. He read the script and didn't quite understand, but then he was really game. And now he feels excited for his association with the Indian community. He was into it from the very beginning."
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