From sporting Bjorn Borg's underwear to heralding Ivan Lendl's (ahem) attributes unrelated to tennis, John McEnroe has winkingly sent up his former rivals lately. Flanked by brother Patrick McEnroe and other notables, the tennis legend staged a faux-meltdown of a comedy show in New York City last week. The program had him making fittingly audacious media appearances ahead of time and then leaving his live audience, including Bette Midler, in figurative stitches.

Co-hosting alongside Bravo TV maven Andy Cohen and comedian-thespian Mike Birbiglia at the Carolines on Broadway venue in Times Square, McEnroe gave attendees a peek at his Borg briefs and a lot of lip and laughs overall, as is his wont.

This third annual 'You Cannot Be Serious!" standup show benefited the player-turned-commentator's Johnny Mac Tennis Project, through which he and his team seek to give kids opportunities to succeed with tennis as their gateway. The program's participants mostly include up-and-comers from the Bronx and Harlem, and the JMTP seeks to partner with New York schools to boot.

John McEnroe hosts
comedy show to help
kids' nonprofit

John McEnroe hosts comedy show to help kids' nonprofit

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(Neon Photography)

McEnroe told Cohen on the latter's Watch What Happens Live program recently that he would aspire to groom the next great American tennis champion, if such a wunderkind were to show up at his organization's instructional events.

The decidedly un-"Serious" show at Carolines sometimes slipped into celebrity roast territory, with Birbiglia ribbing McEnroe over his indelicate handling of Birbiglia's infant daughter at a New Year's Eve gathering one year.

If eliciting guffaws and tutoring tennis hopefuls doesn't work out, McEnroe might still consider that talk-show format alongside Amy Sedaris. It would make for a different mixed-doubles championship.

Follow Jon on Twitter: @jonscott9.

John McEnroe hosts
comedy show to help
kids' nonprofit

John McEnroe hosts comedy show to help kids' nonprofit