Borg, lendl, Connors, McEnroe Becker, 70,s 80,s nothing to compare to them , not forgetting Nastase, Arthur ashe, gueralitis, vilas, etc etc. Before them Laver, Newcombe, Rosewall, Perry, etc. If any of these guys were in their prime today, had access to modern tech, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, etc wouldn't get a look in. Fact. Tennis went for bigger racquets, softer balls . Jeez Louise, Roscoe Tanner today would have a field day. Alvarez and any modern tennis player, transported back in time, would have their ass handed to them.
Ca permet de se rappeler à quel point le niveau de jeu était bon. Alors oui, ce n'est pas aussi explosif qu'aujourd'hui et de loin mais eux ne jouent pas avec un bijou de carbone profilé mais avec une planche de bois. Ca fait une sacrée différence !!
Ive never seen borg better than this! What he would have accomplished the following years with a graphite racket we will never know, but I’m pretty sure he would won some more GS. Unbelievable he won as many GS without competing in AO
This match reinforces the sadness I feel about Borg's early retirement. I think in '81 Borg was at the top of his game. Both in this match and in the 1981 us open semis against Connors, Borg is seen with a more aggressive, faster game, a forehand that beyond being the "king of topsin" seems to me even flatter and faster than in previous years. I think that despite the disappointments he suffered against Mcenroe in '81, he should have waited a little longer and most likely would have found the mental strength to defeat him again. I know it's strange to say that about Borg, but watching the matches against Mcenroe in '81 I feel that with him the only thing that happened was that he didn't know how to sustain the advantages he gained in the match, losing break points or important chances to win sets, regardless of the good match that Mcenroe played
What a match by Borg, my favorite athlete ever and the guy who made me take up the game seriously. Seeing from this low angle really shows that even with the old wood rackets and gut strings these two guys CRUSHED the ball (much harder than it appears from the high angled camera shots we usually get). If Borg played today with all of the latest gear and training, I feel sure he would have held his own against the big three. His court coverage is stunning! And he hits so well from both sides and he literally never fatigues even after these brutally long rallies with Ivan. He was a one-of-a- kind. I saw this live on CBS and was so worried the new phenom Lendl would beat my guy and as you can hear the announcers were sort of favoring Ivan but Borg won in straights, and I was thrilled that not even the young phenom was going to surpass him any time soon. It was really only McEnroe's serve and volley that gave Borg trouble back then and probably made Borg lose interest. I was so sad when he left the game at only 26. 26!! My second favorite player Djokovic was just getting started at 26, or so it seemed, and he's still dominating ten years later. How many slams might Borg have won if he had sustained his interest another five years or so, and if he had bothered to go down under more than the one time?
Arthur Ashe reading the news paper while watching the game. Different times. Also, same exact times as now. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yyuiEzBb7hk.html
McEnroe wins Wimbledon and the U.S. Open yet Borg is player of the year. Furthermore Mac beat him in both finals. Btw, I'm much more a Borg fan than a Mac one
Nah, Masters was played in the beginning of 81, then Borg had won Wimbledon and French open 80. I dont think Borg was player of the year at the end of 81. He was injured a lot (Shoulder injury some time after this Masters final) and played very few tournaments compared to 1980. Only two before french open.
Borg is incredible! Playing with a wooden racquet while lendl playing with an aluminum racquet, the start of racquet composition materials making incredible low percenrage shots very possible reducing unforced errors allowing players to smash the balls at will for current players. I don't think players like Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Alcaraz can play with players in the 1970s
Pretty ruthless hitting by both these great players, at least as good as anything you’ll see in today’s game…. And Borg, what an Amazing Athletic player he was, almost impossible to get the ball past him!!
@@rebirth_mishap Borg would probably went for graphite as well if kept playing as Vilas et al did, although he did play one bad match in ATP with wooden racket in 91 (that is another story with personal problems and ruined business). Anyhow many great matches between 83-86/87 somewhere was indeed lost due to his retirement in my book.
te quedo claro quien fue el mejor de los dos.... sin jueces que apanen a Mc enroe..sin que le permitan ensuciar el partido....en un lugar imparcial ....quedo bien claro....
For anyone who thinks Borg would be overpowered by today’s big hitters, I would direct you to this match which took place on a fast indoor surface. Lendl is hitting it absolutely huge even by today’s standards and Borg - with a wooden racket! - was matching him stroke for stroke and ultimately prevailed not only in this match but again against Lendl later that year in the French Open finals. After watching this match, my only doubt about Borg being able to be a top-level player in today’s game vanished. Armed with today’s technology, Borg would have won his fair share of majors no doubt. Borg’s anticipation, speed, patience, and stamina are unmatched. I think Rafa still beats him more often than not on clay, but Borg would give him a hellacious time of it.
@Don Quixote yeah, I know :) But if clay court tennis was just a sport unto itself, Rafael Nadal is probably the most dominant athlete ever. So no slight against the indisputably great Bjorn Borg.
I have been lucky and old enough to have watched Borg live (2 exhibitions in Mexico City) and Roger, Rafa and Novak at Cincinnati. Bjorn was my teenage idol and still is my favorite player, followed by Roger. This video will help me backup my preferences when I discuss them with others. He was fast, smooth and lethal...and clutch!
hey, its just HARD to beat a guy on a regular basis, who positioned himself the way Borg did....he was like the immovable object, so to speak..which just means, it was damn hard to get him off balance. Ivan actually had more power than Borg..and he could smack a backhand harder than Borg could with two hands. But again, no matter how hard Ivan struck the ball, he just could not get Borg off balance, to keep him off balance. And that nightmare, started with Bjorn's footwork...which to my mind, as many times as I watched him play the game, was his best weapon
