Recently, former Australian Open runner-up John Lloyd released his autobiography "Dear John", in which the 68-year-old British legend confides in his experience fighting cancer, reviews his marriage history with former world number one Evert and makes interesting comments on the current tennis scene.
Willing to give up prostate surgery to maintain erectile function
Lloyd was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a medical exam in 2017 and had been in good health and without any symptoms.
"I wasn't surprised when the doctor told me on the phone that I had prostate cancer. My thinking at the time was that everyone can't win in roulette forever. Fortunately, the cancer was detected early, and if I had waited another nine months, I would have been in a bad situation. ”
Before the operation, Lloyd told the doctor: "If removing the cancer causes me to lose my strength in bed, then do nothing and just stitch the wound back up!" The surgeon thought Lloyd was joking and comforted him, "You'll survive, John." ”
Lloyd doesn't think he's kidding. He did want to live, but the invasive procedure had the potential to damage peripheral nerves and result in never getting an erection again. Some people have no effect on sexual function after surgery, while others can no longer get an erection.
"I said to the doctor, my life is wonderful now, if removing the tumor will cause nerve damage, then (don't remove the tumor directly) sew me up, let me have a good two or three years, I will ride a horse and be a happy person." Lloyd wrote in his autobiography.
"At first, the doctor thought I was joking. Later I was convinced that I was serious. When Lloyd woke up from surgery, the first question Lloyd asked was whether there had been nerve damage. Fortunately, his surgery was a complete success, and doctors removed the tumor without harming the surrounding nerves.
A legendary marriage experience with Evert
During Wimbledon 1978, Lloyd dated Evert, who had won seven Grand Slam singles titles at the time, and married a year later.
"I won runner-up at the Australian Open not long ago, and I was still a little famous in tennis, but Evert is obviously more famous than me. When I got married, I felt that my life had changed so much that I almost lost myself. ”
The marriage of the tennis "golden pair" lasted only eight years, and the two divorced in 1987. In his autobiography, Lloyd revealed that Evert was having an affair with pop singer Adam Firth, who died in 2003.
Lloyd said that divorce is a last resort, but he does not hold a grudge. In fact, the two parted ways before the official divorce. "We were very young at the time, and I regret it now, but that was the only way it was then."
Above, Evert and Barty take a photo
After the divorce, Lloyd and Evert remained good friends. Unfortunately, Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last year, and Lloyd sent a message to comfort Evert when he learned about it.
"She's a great champion and she's going to fight anything. People like her will surely find a way to defeat the disease, which is engraved in her genes. The illness for her was like a brief loss of focus in the third inning, and she will recover quickly, she has won 1,000 games, and defeating the disease is equivalent to winning one more game. In fact, she did. ”
On May 10 this year, Evert told her ex-husband that she had received a sixth and final round of chemotherapy with satisfactory results.
Almost drowned in Wimbledon's bathtub
In 1976, Lloyd lost to Australia's Phil Dent in the first round of Wimbledon 6-4 7-5 3-6 8-9 5-7. After the game, Lloyd went to the bathtub in the locker room to relieve fatigue.
"This tub is big and deep, you can almost swim in it. After about 20 minutes of soaking, I reached for the soap and suddenly my hand cramped, then my legs, feet, arms, and abdomen started cramping, and I felt like I was about to pass out. I tried to climb out of the tub, but fell twice in quick succession. I was like, I'm going to fucking sink, I'm going to die in this bathtub. I was thinking that the next day the newspapers would carry the headline 'An English player committed suicide in a bathtub after a crushing defeat'. ”
Luckily, Australian player Bob Carmichael helped him. "He was beaten a little insane on the pitch and came in to urinate. He heard me and scooped me out of the bathtub. ”
Recalling the scene, Lloyd humorously wrote in his autobiography, "This summer, I will be back at Wimbledon again. I will sit in the comment table, not in the bathtub that collapses in the locker room. ”
40 years of friendship with Trump
Lloyd, 68, travels extensively, and his circle of friends includes foreign dignitaries, the Queen of England, Princess Diana and movie stars. Among these friends, the most commendable is his 40-year friendship with former US President Trump.
They often play golf at the Trump Club in Palm Beach, where Trump offered Lloyd discounted memberships and promised him the opportunity to play golf with high-profile visitors here.
In his autobiography, Lloyd described Trump as "a bold billionaire, a former leader of the free world, a super-confident man." A lot of people see just the Trump presented in the media, that's not all he has, and I had the opportunity to see a different side of him. ”
Whether in public or private, Trump has always called Lloyd "the great John Lloyd, three-time Grand Slam (mixed doubles) champion." "The result and the title is a bit frustrating." Lloyd quipped.
Lloyd admits that he prefers Trump before he became president, when he was more approachable. During his presidency, while Trump played golf with Lloyd, 30 Secret Service agents drove golf carts on either side of the fairway. "If you're close to his ball, you have to park your car farther away from him while the president is playing."
After retiring from sports, he did tennis commentary on TV
Lloyd has been with tennis all his life, turning professional before the age of 20, reaching the final of the Australian Open in 1978 with a highest singles world ranking of 21st. "More than 40 years ago, I met almost all the great players of that period, I played against McEnroe, Connors and others."
In the '90s, Lloyd briefly coached Bjørn Borg and Tracy Austin. In 1993, Lloyd succeeded Arthur Ashe as a television commentator at HBO. He captained the Davis Cup from 1997 to 2000 and succeeded Jeremy Bates as captain of the Davis Cup again in August 2006 until March 2010. Lloyd then worked as a television commentator at the BBC, commentating on Grand Slam tournaments including Wimbledon.
In addition, Lloyd has also explained the US Open on Sky Sports, and he believes that there is a very clear difference between the US Open and Wimbledon. "On American television shows, commentators talk a lot. On the BBC, if you speak in the middle of 1 point, you lose your job and the fans will immediately complain and protest! ”
Born in a small town near London, England, Lloyd has always been very interested in British tennis. Lloyd believes no one has the right to dictate when Murray will retire, and he also believes that 20-year-old British player Jack Draper (currently ranked 48th in the ATP singles world) has all the ingredients to be a good player. However, Lloyd is not too optimistic about last year's US Open champion Raducanu, believing that everyone should lower their expectations of her.
"Dear John – The Autobiography of John Lloyd" was published on May 30 and currently sells for $8.99 for e-books on Amazon and $27.99 for paper books. (Source: Tennis House Author: Cirrus Yunshu)
Learn more