John McEnroe as depicted in Grand Slam Tennis for Wii

Remember the loudmouth of tennis?

Back in the days of short shorts, John McEnroe was the wild-haired wild man whose in-game outbursts were as famous as his forehand. When he took the court against, say, Jimmy Connors or Bjorn Borg, the outcome was legendary — and the shouts from McEnroe at line judging were frequent.

He’s more sedate now doing tennis color commentary on TV, but ads featuring him as a pitchman for rental cars hark back to his previous personna and his “You cannot be serious!” tagline.

Thus, it was McEnroe’s mouth that came to Game Guy’s mind first when Electronic Arts announced “Grand Slam Tennis” for Nintendo’s Wii console. The game, due out June 16 and expected to cost $49.95, features numerous current and past Grand Slam stars and highlights the Wii’s MotionPlus dongle add-on to the wand remote, enabling more precise shot placement than seen in titles such as “Wii Sports.”

EA says the new game is the “deepest tennis experience” for gaming available, one in which the Wii “puts the racket in the palm of your hand.” There’s even a fatigue factor in place to make the game more challenging as matches progress.

But the big star, according to EA’s news release this week, is McEnroe, winner of 77 singles titles including three Wimbledons and four U.S. Opens. His stomping, shouting and water-cooler smashing attracted legions who previously were put off with tennis’ starched-collar image. McEnroe showed how much fun tennis could be to people who didn’t already know, and he added much needed color to a sport that seemed only green and white.

Now, if EA includes a likeness of Ilie Nastase giving the finger to officials on every line call, all the better.