John McEnroe was involved in one of the greatest matches of all time against Bjorn Borg.
The American played his great rival on 14 occasions and their eighth meeting was one of the greatest matches ever played.
The pair squared off in the 1980 Wimbledon final, with Borg aiming to continue his dominance at SW19 and win a historic fifth successive title.
On the other hand, John McEnroe was searching for his first title at the All-England Club, and this made for a truly iconic matchup with both players pushing each other to their limit.
John McEnroe reflects on 1980 Wimbledon final loss to Bjorn Borg
There have been plenty of advancements in tennis over the years, especially with the increased speed and power which the modern players play.
But 45 years later, McEnroe’s Wimbledon final against Bjorn Borg still stands out as one of the best matches the sport has ever produced.
McEnroe and Borg’s contrast in styles made for a compelling matchup, and the number of twists and turns over five sets ensured the match went down as a classic.
McEnroe was devastated to lose the encounter 1-6 7-5 6-3 6-7 8-6, but he told Joe Buck’s Undeniable Show back in 2023 that there were plenty of good things to come out of the defeat.
“There was a lot of positives which came out of it. I was a lot more respected in the locker room but the press treated me a little bit nicer,” McEnroe said.
“I felt like I had handled myself well, pressed this great champion to the limit. It did feel like something, even though it felt horrible at the time, that cliche ‘well there’s no losers’.
“Obviously that is not the case. But that is close to it ever feeling like that was the case. I felt like that a winner that I had lifted myself up a notch or two in that one day.”
John McEnroe shares how he felt after beating Bjorn Born in 1981 Wimbledon final
A year later, McEnroe made it back to the Wimbledon final, and once again, he would face Borg.
This time, the American ruined the tables and claimed a four seat-four set victory to hand Borg his first loss at Wimbledon since 1975 to the late Arthur Ashe.
In the process McEnroe claimed his first Wimbledon title and while he was ecstatic to win tennis’ most iconic trophy, he was in awe of the dominance of Borg, who quit the sport after their 1981 US Open final.
“Whenever you match up against people and you see why or how you came up short you realise you have to add more to your game whether it’s in terms of fitness, heart, will or preparation,” McEnroe said.
“So all those things come into it when you realise if you really want to be – it’s one thing to be a great player, then another to win a major, then there is a whole other level to do it multiple times. He taught me something that match. I can’t believe he wanted it that bad.”
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