[Dion]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Two of the greatest grand slam final matches happened back-to-back 40 years ago in 1980, the Wimbledon final which featured that 4th set 18-16 tie-breaker and the US Open where Johnny Mac got his revenge winning in five sets after Borg rallied from two sets to love down.

Sadly Borg left the court before the awards ceremony in that US Open final. It was the first sign that his nerves of steel had cracked. IIRC he said back then that he knew the McEnroe was going to be #1 for some time. It was the beginning of the end to a very short career.

Björn Borg was a rock ‘n roll star draped in tennis clothes.

His massive appeal, based not only on his extraordinary tennis ability, but on his good looks and shy manner, made him a worldwide tennis teen idol. “He was like the Beatles for God’s sake,” said Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer, a close Borg friend.

Borg polarized tennis in the 1970s. Known as the “ice man” for his frosty temperament on court – never, ever letting his opponent get a hint of what was boiling inside him – Borg was the epitome of cool. Everything from the way he walked onto the court, to his long hair that flowed to his shoulders, to the headbands he always wore, to his Donnay racquet that featured a longer leather handle to accommodate his two-handed backhand, created hysteria.

He was tennis’s biggest drawing card. It was called “Borgmania.”

You’d have to search sporting annals long and hard to find an athlete in any sport that rose to meteoric heights like Borg, an 11-time major singles champion in just seven years (1974-81), who dramatically stunned and shocked the tennis world by retiring at age 26. Even in such a short time span, Borg left an indelible legacy on tennis history. He won six French Open championships (second best in history behind Rafael Nadal’s 11) and four consecutively (1978-81). Borg dominated Wimbledon like no other player since Willie Renshaw did when he won six straight championships (1881-1886), capturing five consecutive titles from 1976 to 1980, his five-set marathon victory over John McEnroe in 1980 considered one of the greatest tennis matches in history. Borg’s five titles at Wimbledon are the third highest in history behind Roger Federer (eight titles) and Pete Sampras (seven titles).

https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-f...ees/bjorn-borg