John McEnroe thought he had simply signed on for another small cameo role. But as he continued to read through the script, he grew more and more bewildered.
“How the hell did this happen?” he said to himself.
The 62-year-old, seven-time Grand Slam singles winner had casually agreed to narrate Mindy Kaling’s Netflix series, Never Have I Ever, in a passing conversation with the executive producer at a Vanity Fair Oscars party. As McEnroe dove into the script, however, he realized his assignment had nothing to do with the sport that garnered him fame. The tennis legend and commentator, who is currently calling the U.S. Open on ESPN, was to play himself as the voiceover for a young high schooler named Devi desperately trying to climb the social ladder and lose her virginity.