Borg versus McEnroe: The Greatest Rivalry, the Greatest Match

by Malcolm Folley

Borg versus McEnroe will be enjoyed by those who have enjoyed the Borg vs McEnro e film, staring Sverir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf as well as by those who enjoyed reading Andre Agassi's Open . The 1980 Wimbledon final is acclaimed as the greatest game ever played on the lawns of SW19. Borg was going for a record-breaking fifth consecutive title, McEnroe his first. The focal point became the legendary fourth set tie break which saw Borg waste five match points before McEnroe levelled the contest on his seventh set point. Borg came back to win the final set 8-6 and as he sank to his knees in victory the Centre Court crowd stood as one to applaud both players. This was to prove Borg's last Grand Slam victory over McEnroe and within two years he had retired altogether. This classic sporting event is celebrated with first-hand accounts from players and personalities. The author tells the story of the great rivalry between Borg and McEnroe as they headed towards their climactic showdown and the shift of tennis supremacy that followed.

Genres: Biography, Sports

Paperback

First published May 2, 2005

Reviews

[John Coates · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a tennis fan and one who saw both these great players live, I found this book enthralling. I never saw them play each other live, although I did see Bjorn at Wimbledon in 1979 and John at Olympia in the World Doubles Championship Final. Anyway, it is a book that is more than just about their rivalry. It delves into the making of both players and finishes with that great 1980 Wimbledon final. That is the finale in the book and a fitting one because it is one of the all time great matches. However, we do get details of matches after the but they are mentioned earlier in the book. A great book for all lovers of tennis about two of the greatest players of all time.