Borg was still in his 30s here. Just shows how young he was as a champion and when he retired. Connors could still play at a decent level here, even at about 42.
@@edmundomaduro2452 Yes, but more importantly, Connors is only 3 years from his magical run at the U.S. Open. Borg had been out of the majors for over a decade.
Connors 43 here,borg 38. Damn good tennis from those two, competitive and connors funny as usual. I saw connors and McEnroe play an exhibition match, it was hilarious. Great tennis but funny from both, connors was 52 i think and was still very competitive.
Grande Jimmy Connors !!! Secondo me il più grande combattente nella storia del tennis, combattente nel senso della sua continuità e grande volontà a dispetto dei suoi difetti tecnici ( pochi ! ma reali ). Ammetto che qui ha incontrato un Borg sottotono, un Borg sicuramente dotato dalla NATURA di talenti tecnici superiori a tutti quelli dei suoi avversari di quel tempo. Siamo nel 2022 e ancora Jimmy detiene il record dei tornei vinti !!!! Grande ! Immenso Jimmy Connors !!!
You gotta love the Jimmy Connors, aka Nuveen Champions Tour, Jimmy won 32 titles on the circuit between 1993 and 2001 when Jimmy and Nuveen sold the Tour to the ATP.
I have been a fan of Jimmy Connors more or less from the start, his never say die attitude has rubbed off on me too. Outstanding player with an outstanding attitude to win, there is no one like Jimmy Connors.
@MUFC Soccer players are morons and can only run all day. Weak ass arms and no brain power in strategies. Lamest game in pro sports is soccer. Shows how many idiot useless eaters live on this planet doesn't it?
What a trip down the timeline... In this match, Bjorn Borg is hardly older than Novak is today, but that was senior tennis back then ! And while Jimbo was older, he was just off the circuit, unlike a 13-yr retired BB.
PurpleAndZeppelin get fucking real!!! Borg never won the US OPEN or the Australian Open. The GOAT is Roger FEderer and it’s not even debatable anymore.
Great rivalry when they were young and it continues. After age of 40 Connors dominate more . Ageless wonder. Now at 66 still he plays with vogour . Mckenroe too play good game. Oldies are goldies
No disrespect but it's amazing how far tennis has come. I just watched the racquet speed of Djokovic and Meddy and this match seems to be played on negative 4x speed. Just insane how these guys are smacking the balls compared to back then which is still impressive.
@@mtgne5351 There is no question that something has changed with respect to age. Most tennis players were done being at the top of their game soon after 30. That said though, keep in mind that Borg retired around 24 and was away from the tour for years. Not to mention that the technology was rapidly changing the game and continued to do so well into the 2000s. Both these guys were raised with wooden rackets, and in many ways still play the same way. And you can damn sure that if you put a wooden racket in Rafa's or Novak's hands none of their shots would work.
If Jimbo would have switched to graphite composites they had in the early 80's he would very likely have won a couple more majors . The same could be said for Bjorn Borg .
@@JimmyConnors-cy2xt I followed you since the late 70's and admittedly was not a fan of Borg or Mac because they gave you so much trouble haha But as I grew older I saw the genius of their games .
Hi Bala, When Bjorn played at Wimbledon, back in 1973 as a 17 year old, he always served and volleyed, even on the second serve. He was effective at finishing off a point, at the net.
@@Logans3Run ok, probably he changed his game as he was probably more consistent with his baseline game or that got him more success against serve and volleyers!
@@balat77 Agreed. Sidebar: If Bjorn included the Australian Open, on his tournament itinerary a bit more, his Grand Slam total, would definitely exceeded that, of Pete Sampras.
I think Borg burned out at an early age, possibly because he started on the tour so young. The grind may have gotten to him. The full impact of his early retirement wasn’t felt as intensely by tennis fans as it could have been because we figured he’d be back eventually. Had we known how things would play out, it would have been more upsetting. That’s what I think my reaction was, anyway. He seemed to just fade away. When he made his comeback, he was a shadow of his former self.
I've read that his Coach/Manager did not properly manage his abundant playing schedule. Burned him out. John Newcombe said at the time that Borg was playing to vote.
I think Borg should have used a graphite racket like Connors used which shape allows a more flexible hit. Perhaps his backhand had become more solid then. Very wobbly here.
Connors never allowed Borg to win US open and Borg never allowed Conors to win Wimbledon.. Great Rivalry and it continues even when they are old . Truly enjoyable.
I agree---IMO Connors against Borg was the greatest tennis rivalry of all time, but McEnroe also belongs in the mix. Those three against each other, in whatever combination, was epic. Connors & McEnroe were certainly firebrands, to put it politely, but that's part of what made them exciting. Borg was kind of the anti-Connors or McEnroe with his cool demeanor, but was equally iconic with his "ice man" temperament, blonde locks and headband. Those were the days!
@@karmicselling4252 Yes, I think Borg was the better player, but the comment was referred to their wimbledon and us open matches, and Connors won wimbly two times, before and after Borg, while Bjorn never won us open, beaten by Connors and Mcenroe.
le veilleur non silencieux I know that Borg could beat Agassi and Sampras on training in early 90's, but of course it would be difficult in official matches were the influence of audience and everything around would make it too hard.
Borg is a pale shadow of his former self in this match. His game looks very hurried and sloppy, nothing like the 100% focus we saw from him in his peak years. Hard to believe only three years earlier he attempted a comeback on the main tour playing tennis like this.
Borgs foot work while good is no where near his younger peak. Jimmy is playing 80 percent of his peak and Borg about 50 percent. At 42 Connors is in great shape here.
Wow so you’re saying that at the age of 38 he doesn’t move as well as he did when he was winning Wimbledon 20 years earlier? What an astute observation. Maybe next you can tell us what color the sun is
@@MrPernell27 You're missing his point. Connors is moving much closer to his pro level and Connors is older than Borg 42-38. Roger Federer still moves very well at age 39. What is accepted is that Borg hadn't played majors in over a decade by this time- but Len Welch's point remains valid: Borg's fitness level has dropped much more than Connors.
Waning enthusiasm began in his 20s- leading to his retirement at age 26. He is just not nearly as sharp as we remember from the early to mid 70s. The big loop on the forehand is gone- he is now using a shorter backswing and hitting flatter more like Connors. Slower racquet speed on backhand though long backswing is still there. He can make some good shots still, of course, but the sharpness and consistency is gone- and Borg seems fine with that.
LOL!!! HE was long retired, but this is actually just after he attempted a COMEBACK. Just the opposite of what you claim...sigh. So much ignorance out there. In reality, Borg's "enthusiasm" never waned - it was an excuse by Borg fanboys for the fact that he was a straight-up quitter. They like to fantasize about how dominant he would have been had he gone on - which wouldn't matter even if true, because he QUIT. LOL. The ultimate in having no discipline, fortitude, or will. However, the real reason he quit is because of Mcenroe. Borg couldn't stand not being #1, and it's no coincidence that being crushed by Mac in the US open final was the final straw. It was Borg who would tellingly push Mcenroe to go play the Australian one year when Lendl and Mac were jousting for#1. Borg suddenly got serious and told Mac earnestly; we both know, if you're not #1, you're nothing. That was Borg's mentality, and when he knew he wasn't #1, he just took his little balls and left. That is the harsh truth. Give Jimmy credit. Jimmy was an incredible jackass who later tricked the fans into believing he was a nice guy lol....BUT he kept playing and fighting for it, long after his dominance was gone.
Connors counted these and echibition matches against Bjorg in his total head to head, in his book and Wikipedia. When they were on the tour Bjorg was the boss. And Jimmy knew that.
And tomorrow even higher, they will consider Federer and Nadal’s tennis slow or weak as we consider the tennis of 1970s and 1980s. The fitness and technique of the players is increasing day by day.
@JimmyConnors-cy2xt don't get me wrong, Jimmy . I didn't follow your carrer. I didn't wanna hurt you. I started following your videos just 2 or 3 years ago. Congratulations on your unbelievable career.
Just think that at 38 (Born's age in this video), Roger Federer was winning Grand Slam tournaments. Today's players train harder, have better equipment and take better care of themselves.
Sampras and Edberg took care of themselves and were burnt out by 30 as was Lendl the father of modern diet & fitness. Something makes me suspect today’s players still dominating in their mid 30s are on something more than just a modern trading regime and fancy diet
@@ossyable rackets and string are not changed a lot since 2005.So Federer ghas modern technigue even now. Sampras did not have modern technigue in 2002
poupard1963 The slowest court I ever played on was an American green clay court at my dad's condo complex in Ft. Myers. It was so slow that the ball would not move when it hit the ground. I have never played on red clay, but I am sure the slowest red clay would be faster than that green clay I played on.
Better film today shows the speed and spin, it didn't as much then buy they had it. I saw them play live then and current players. No difference, average serves are a little faster but there were guys in the 70s who could serve over 150mph, rosco tanner was one but connors beat him regularly.
Connors last grand slam final was at the age of 31. He won exactly 4 tournamounts after the age of 33. He never made it past the semi finals at Roland Garros. Rosewall won 43 tournamounts after the age of33. He was in 8 finals after the age of 33 and won 4 of them and he won 6 tournamounts in his 40s beating the likes of Nastase and Ashe. Connors won 8 majors and the Big 3 all won 20 or more. Sampras won 14 and Borg 11 by the age of 26. Jimbo was great but not a legend like Tilden. Gonzalez, Laver, Rosewall and the big 3.
