Back In Time Borg vs McEnroe

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In the past, I have written articles about sporting events that happened before I was born. The two that I have talked about are the Miracle on Ice game between the USA vs USSR. The other is the Rumble in The Jungle the boxing match between Mohammad Ali and George Foreman. The Miracle on Ice game happened on February 22, 1980, and the Rumble in the Jungle happened on October 30, 1974. I was born in 1983. So, I decided to add another one to the list this sporting event also happened in 1980. On July 5, 1980, at Wimbledon, two tennis players were opposites. The two players were Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. This is considered one if not the greatest tennis match of all time. At the time these were the number one and number two players in the world. History was made in this match.

John McEnroe was a player that was known for his bad attitude. He had many matches where he got upset with the chair umpire. When it came to Wimbledon, he was hated. The crowd on center court booed him which was very rare. He had many names like fire and super brat just to name a few. McEnroe was a lefty that was rare in tennis at the time. He like to charge the net and was very quick. He was the number two player at the time of the match. There were many of his peers that could not stand him either. No matter what, McEnroe gave everything he had on the court. The press drove him crazy as well. All he wanted to do was talk about his tennis but all they wanted to talk about was his attitude. He changed all their minds.

Bjorn Borg was a Swede and never showed any emotions. He learned at a young age to contain his emotions. He had many superstations like keeping his room very cold, renting the same car and hotel room, and practicing on the same court. At the time of the match, he had won Wimbledon the previous four years. He had a ton of pressure on him. As the tournament started the one player that had a chance to defy history was John McEnroe. Borg was a slow starter in many of his matches. The Wimbledon crowd, especially on center court, loved him, unlike McEnroe. When it came time for the match he got cheered and heard the boos for John. He also did not step on the baseline because he felt it was bad luck. Borg rarely made a mistake, and, in this match, it would come to a head.

The match started the way that McEnroe wanted to. He won the first set 6-1 and surprised many. As the second set started the slow start by Borg did not seem to bother him. He won the second set 7-5. After two sets each player had one. Borg and McEnroe would go back in forth in set number three and Borg would win it 6-3. That means he was one set away from making history. In set four many thought it was over but McEnroe had something to say about that. He would win set four 7-6 after a long tiebreaker, 18-16. McEnroe had the momentum going into the fifth and final set. In that set, he saved seven championship points. The final set was back and forth but Borg won 8-6. He collapsed on his legs as he won his fifth Wimbledon title.

I have been watching a movie about this match on cable tv. The movie is called Borg vs McEnroe. I am hoping to attend Wimbledon in my life, and this is one of the many reasons why. After this match, McEnroe beat Borg the following year and then became the number one player in the world. Borg would retire from tennis. One of the coolest things that happened is that these two players once great rivals became great friends. Borg was McEnroe’s best man when he got married. This is by far one of the greatest rivalries in all of the sports. It should have lasted longer than it did, but Borg retired before McEnroe did. I like that this match was fire vs ice and there will never be another match like Borg vs McEnroe.

Stats from the match:

Borg vs McEnroe Head to Head Stats – Too Many Rackets