Borg–McEnroe rivalry


The tennis players Björn Borg and John McEnroe met 14 times on the regular tour and 22 times in total, with their on-court rivalry highlighted by their contrasting temperaments and styles. Borg was known for his cool and emotionless demeanor on court, while McEnroe was famed for his court-side tantrums. Their rivalry extended between 1978 and 1981, with each player winning seven times against the other. Because of their contrasting personalities, their rivalry was described as "Fire and Ice".
In 1980 McEnroe reached the men's singles final at Wimbledon for the first time, where he faced Borg, who was aiming for an Open Era record fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. At the start of the final McEnroe was booed by the crowd as he entered Centre Court following his heated exchanges with officials during his semi-final clash with Jimmy Connors. In a fourth set tie-breaker that lasted 20 minutes, McEnroe saved five match points and eventually won 18–16. However, he was unable to break Borg's serve in the fifth set and Borg went on to win 8–6. This match is widely considered one of the best tennis matches ever played. McEnroe defeated Borg at the US Open final the same year in five sets.
In 1981 McEnroe returned to Wimbledon and again faced Borg in the men's singles final. This time it was the American who prevailed and defeated Borg to end the Swede's run of 41 straight match victories at the All England Club. At the US Open in the same season, McEnroe was again victorious, winning in four sets, afterwards Borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun. Borg retired shortly afterwards, having never won the US Open despite reaching four finals. Their final confrontation came in 1983 in Tokyo at the Suntory Cup, with Borg prevailing 6–4, 2–6, 6–2.
In March 2006, when Bonhams Auction House in London announced that it would auction Borg's Wimbledon trophies and two of his winning rackets on 21 June 2006, McEnroe called from New York and told Borg, "What's up? Have you gone mad?" The conversation with McEnroe, along with pleas from Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, eventually persuaded Borg to buy out the trophies from Bonhams at an undisclosed amount.

Head-to-head

LegendBorgMcEnroe
Grand Slam13
Masters Grand Prix20
WCT Finals01
ATP International Series43
Total77

Official matches

Borg–McEnroe: 14
No.YearTournamentSurfaceRoundWinnerScoreBorgMcEnroe
1.1978 Stockholm OpenHard SemifinalsMcEnroe6–3, 6–401
2.1979 Richmond WCTCarpetSemifinalsBorg4–6, 7–6, 6–311
3.1979 New Orleans Grand PrixCarpetSemifinalsMcEnroe5–7, 6–1, 7–612
4.1979 Rotterdam OpenCarpetFinalBorg6–4, 6–222
5.1979 WCT FinalsCarpetFinalMcEnroe7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–623
6.1979 Canadian OpenHardFinalBorg6–3, 6–333
7.1979 Masters Grand PrixCarpetSemifinalsBorg6–7, 6–3, 7–643
8.1980 WimbledonGrassFinalBorg1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7, 8–653
9.1980 US OpenHardFinalMcEnroe7–6, 6–1, 6–7, 5–7, 6–454
10.1980 Stockholm OpenCarpetFinalBorg6–3, 6–464
11.1980 Masters Grand PrixCarpetRound RobinBorg6–4, 6–7, 7–674
12.1981 Milan IndoorCarpetFinalMcEnroe7–6, 6–475
13.1981 WimbledonGrassFinalMcEnroe4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–476
14.1981 US OpenHardFinalMcEnroe4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–377

Breakdown of their rivalry

Invitational matches

Borg–McEnroe
No.YearTournamentSurfaceRoundWinnerScore
1.1979 Velo Tennis CupCarpetFinalBorg3–6, 6–1, 6–4
2.1979 Brooklyn MastersCarpetFinalBorg1–6, 6–1, 6–4
3.1981 Molson Light ChallengeCarpetSemifinalsMcEnroe6–3, 3–6, 7–6
4.1982 Swan Lager Super ChallengeCarpetFinalMcEnroe6–1, 6–4
5.1982 AKAI Gold ChallengeCarpetRound RobinBorg3–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2
6.1982 Europe vs. AmericasCarpetRound RobinMcEnroe6–3, 2–6, 6–4
7.1982 European Community ChampionshipCarpetSemifinalsMcEnroe2–6, 6–4, 6–3
8.1983 Suntory CupCarpetSemifinalsBorg6–4, 2–6, 6–2

Exhibitions

Borg–McEnroe
No.YearTournamentSurfaceRoundWinnerScore
1.1981 Benson & Hedges ChallengeIndoor–Borg6–0, 6–4
2.1981 Benson & Hedges ChallengeIndoor–Borg6–2, 6–4
3.1981 Benson & Hedges ChallengeOutdoorFinalMcEnroe6–4, 1–6, 7–6, 6–4