John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg played out a fierce rivalry on the ATP Tour, much to the delight of tennis fans.
McEnroe versus Borg has gone down as one of the all-time great rivalries, with the pair fittingly winning seven times each from their 14 ATP meetings.
Both players also reached number one in the world rankings, and finished their stunning careers as multiple Grand Slam champions.
Swedish legend Borg won 11 Grand Slam titles, with American icon McEnroe having secured seven major titles.
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John McEnroe disagreed with Bjorn Borg over the ATP rankings
Now looking back on his fantastic career, McEnroe has revealed that he and Borg didn’t see eye-to-eye regarding the ATP rankings.
When asked if he appreciates the idea of being the best in the world now more than he did at the time, McEnroe told ATP Media: “I appreciated it then, but I also appreciated being No. 2 in the world.
“I had this conversation with Bjorn quite a bit. He was like, ‘Look, if you’re not No. 1, what the hell difference is it being No. 2 or 100?’
“I go, ‘Well, [No.] 2 is a lot better than 100’. So it’s just sort of the way you look at it. To me, there are a lot of people out there trying to do their thing.
“So if you gave it the best you can give and you were 5 in the world or you’re 50, whatever it is, the pride you have to take is that more so than, ‘Okay I’m No. 1 and therefore I’ve got to act a certain way’.
“To me, ultimately, I think that being able to say that for a period of three, four years, that I was the best and then there were other years I was one of the two or three best, that feels better as you get older.”
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John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg head-to-head record
Perhaps it is little surprise to hear of such a disagreement, with McEnroe and Borg having often been at loggerheads with one another.
The American soared to number one in the world in 1980, with McEnroe disappointed by Borg’s final season arriving one year later.
| Year | Winner | Tournament | Round | Surface | Score |
| 1981 | John McEnroe | US Open | Final | Outdoor Hard | 46 62 64 63 |
| 1981 | John McEnroe | Wimbledon | Final | Outdoor Grass | 46 76 76 64 |
| 1981 | John McEnroe | Milan WCT | Final | Indoor Carpet | 76 64 |
| 1980 | Bjorn Borg | Masters | Round Robin | Indoor Carpet | 64 67 76 |
| 1980 | Bjorn Borg | Stockholm | Final | Indoor Carpet | 63 64 |
| 1980 | John McEnroe | US Open | Final | Outdoor Hard | 76 61 67 57 64 |
| 1980 | Bjorn Borg | Wimbledon | Final | Outdoor Grass | 16 75 63 67 86 |
| 1979 | Bjorn Borg | Masters | Semifinal | Indoor Carpet | 67 63 76 |
| 1979 | Bjorn Borg | Toronto | Final | Outdoor Hard | 63 63 |
| 1979 | John McEnroe | WCT Finals | Final | Indoor Carpet | 75 46 62 76 |
| 1979 | Bjorn Borg | Rotterdam WCT | Final | Indoor Carpet | 64 62 |
| 1979 | John McEnroe | New Orleans WCT | Semifinal | Indoor Carpet | 57 61 76 |
| 1979 | Bjorn Borg | Richmond WCT | Semifinal | Indoor Carpet | 46 76 63 |
| 1978 | John McEnroe | Stockholm | Semifinal | Indoor Hard | 63 64 |
Still, they enjoyed an iconic rivalry, with their meetings arriving in the finals or semifinals of tournaments more often than not.
Intriguingly, the pair continued that long-standing battle long after retiring, recently serving as captains at the Laver Cup.
Current ATP superstars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are repeating such intense competition right now, arguably playing out the best rivalry in tennis at this moment in time.
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