Description
There has been numerous classic encounters during The Wimbledon Championships, none more so than the 1981 men's Final between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. There could not have been two more contrasting characters, McEnroe renowned for his temper tantrums and Borg the ice-cool and reserved Swede.
Despite losing to McEnroe in the 1980 US Open, Borg was seeded number 1 and most people expected him to extend his awesome record of five successive Wimbledon titles to six, by winning the 1981 Final. With a semi-final win over Jimmy Connors, Borg had not been defeated at Wimbledon in 41 matches and McEnroe, seeded number 2, had not been taken beyond four sets in any one match.
The stage was set for a classic encounter between two legendary players and the crowd and television audiences around the world were not to be disappointed. During 202 minutes of gripping action and glorious tennis, Borg and McEnroe battled it out for the most coveted title in the world tennis, pushing their levels of physical and mental endurance to the uttermost limits.
Borg took the first set 6-4, the next two sets went to nail-biting tie breaks in McEnroe's favour and the American then went to win the fourth, 6-4.
McEnroe captured the crown signalling the end of Borg's Wimbledon rule and by the time of the next championships, Borg had retired. However, this classic match remains in the memory as one of the most unforgettable of Wimbledon Finals.
This is the whole match.