John McEnroe has had numerous noteworthy rivals over his remarkable career. Tennis fans all around the world enjoyed his clashes against players like Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. A well-known rivalry between McEnroe and Bjorn Borg developed.
Over the course of their careers, the two faced off in a number of pivotal games. Furthermore, they each won seven of the 14 games that were played between them. One of the greatest matchups in history was their 1980 Wimbledon final. In that encounter, Borg defeated McEnroe in five sets. In a podcast interview, McEnroe described a fascinating experience he had with Borg.
John McEnroe remembers that special time.
In an interview with WNYC Studios for the podcast Here’s the Thing, the legendary American shared one of his best moments. “Two months later, I was playing Borg in this match and I was losing it badly. We were five sets to none when Bjorn pointed at me and said, ‘Come here.’ I thought he was going to tell me I’m the biggest a**hole that has ever lived, but he put his arm around me and comforted me,” the man recalled. This is beneficial.
“And I got these goosebumps,” he continued. “At first, I thought he was trying to trick me, so I started analyzing, but then I realized that this guy is accepting me and that I’m a part of this elite group, so let’s just go with it.” It’s going to be truly fantastic. One of the best times of my life was that one. You are accepted by Bjorn Borg.
The connection between McEnroe and Borg
At a period when Borg was already at the pinnacle of his game, McEnroe made significant progress in the tennis world. Despite being fierce competitors on the court, the two remained friendly off it. McEnroe has previously stated that their demeanors away from the court were more similar than people realized.
