Mar 27, 2020 mcenroe admitted his own motivation to play tennis dipped when borg called time on his career after falling out of love with tennis in 1983, yet arguably the greatest performance of his career came in the 1984 wimbledon final, as he destroyed his great rival connors in convincing fashion on centre court. Jun 17, 2011 the decade was the 80s, but the hairstyles recalled the 60s, and no female star then or now fidgeted more with her tresses than jimmy connors, bjorn borg or john mcenroe. First, we see the two on centre court, trapped in the middle of the films climactic match. Open in a straightset final on a hard surface decoturf ii, ending borg s 43match winning streak. Having grown up watching his epic matches with borg and connors i was eager to read this book.
These three very different individuals brought tennis to a much larger viewing audience. Borg was a reserved, methodical player and mcenroe, well, he was a firecracker. You cannot be serious by john mcenroe, james kaplan. The lefthanded serveandvolleyer reached the top of both the atp rankings and the atp doubles rankings. Borg and mcenroe, in rivalry and friendship the new york.
See more ideas about tennis players, tennis and tennis legends. His novels include pearls progress and two guys from verona, a new york times notable book for 1998. Great book and returns the reader to a vintage era in tennis history but did notice a number of in accuracies. John mcenroe of the usa returns a shot during his match against bjorn borg in the finals of the 1981 lawn tennis championships at the. In a conference call with british tennis reporters, connors bristled when asked if agassi deserved to be linked with pete sampras and retired greats like himself, john mcenroe and bjorn borg. Connors ignited the tennis boom in the 1970s with his aggressive style of play, turning his matches with john mcenroe, bjorn borg, and ivan lendl into prizefights. Tennis365s top 10 countdown of the greatest tennis players.
Borg sverrir gudnason in his signature pinstriped polo. Mcenroe admitted his own motivation to play tennis dipped when borg called time on his career after falling out of love with tennis in 1983, yet arguably the greatest performance of his career came in the 1984 wimbledon final, as he destroyed his great rival. Borg vs mcenroe is too honest to be a good tennis movie. Just about all the major rivals of mcenroe have their say in this book connors, borg, lendl, wilander, gullikson, gottfried, etc. The connorsmcenroe rivalry was a series of competitive matches between american tennis players jimmy connors and john mcenroe, who played 34 times between 1977 and 1991. The mcenroe borg connors years were the apex of tennis viewing. You will be happy to find all the details on his tennis career and all of the behindthescenes action that the media never covers. Borg went on to lose to mcenroe at the 1981 us open. One shortcoming with the book is not connorss fault. Were you able to interview jimmy connors and bjorn borg.
Jimmy connors discusses his wimbledon memories and famous rivalry with john mcenroe. I know connors beat borg twice at the us open finals, but borg was a legend at wimby and mcenroe took that away from borg they would not stack up to federer one bit. His recountings of epic rivalries with bjorn borg and mcenroe shed few new insights. Caryl phillips revisits borg vs mcenroe, one of the greatest rivalries in. But seriously by john mcenroe digested read books the. Its a story about two men who changed the face of tennis. Tennis365s top 10 countdown of the greatest tennis. Jun 02, 20 one shortcoming with the book is not connorss fault. John mcenroe of the usa returns a shot during his match against bjorn borg in the finals of the 1981 lawn tennis championships at the allengland club in wimbledon, england. But it was his prolonged dedication to his craft that won him the publics adoration. The connorsmcenroe rivalry was a series of competitive matches between american.
John mcenroe was just an eighteenyearold amateur from queens when he stunned the tennis world by making it to the wimbledon semifinals in 1977. John mcenroe stunned the tennis elite when he came out of nowhere to make the wimbledon semifinals at the age of eighteenand just a few years later, he was ranked number one in the world. Nastaste, connors, gerulaitis, smith, ashe, all the australians, and of course borg and mcenroe. Jimmy connors memoir shows he wasnt misunderstood, he was. Mcenroes irish paternal grandfather was from ballyjamesduff in county cavan and his maternal grandmother was from county. A noholdsbarred, intimate memoir by john mcenroethe bad boy of professional tennis. Jun 10, 2002 mcenroe fully details his most significant triumphs and losses e. Head to head in major championship finals, they split their two meetings, connors winning the 1982 wimbledon in five sets, and mcenroe winning the 1984. You cannot be serious by john mcenroe, james kaplan nook. The mcenroeborgconnors years were the apex of tennis viewing. I give a slight edge to mcenroe just because he beat borg at wimby.
John is woven throughout this book, as are borg and connors and geruliitis. In the movie, borgs icecool image definitely takes a beating and it is mcenroe who comes out tops in spite of the famous five set loss to borg in the 1980 wimbledon final. Nov 28, 2017 just about all the major rivals of mcenroe have their say in this bookconnors, borg, lendl, wilander, gullikson, gottfried, etc. Their games and rivalries have in my opinion never been matched since. Its the mcenroeborg rivalry that tennis magazine senior writer stephen tignor spotlights in his. May 30, 20 jimmy connors discusses his wimbledon memories and famous rivalry with john mcenroe. There are reports that borg received threats after his semifinal win over connors. Janus metzs borg mcenroe paints a very different picture, diving into both mens psyches to find them all but identical, differing only in their outward manifestations of relentless pressure. The decade was the 80s, but the hairstyles recalled the 60s, and no female star then or now fidgeted more with her tresses than jimmy connors, bjorn borg or john mcenroe. But there is more to mcenroe than what you saw on the court which the american described to as, the good, the bad and the ugly. John mcenroe admits his old attitude was too much for him, and maybe for others, and also tells sean ingle how much he missed bjorn borg when the swede retired at 25. Bjorn borg, john mcenroe, and the untold story of tenniss fiercest rivalry by stephen tignor isbn. Their rivalry extended between 1978 and 1981, with each player winning seven times against.
May 10, 2011 bjorn borgjohn mcenroe rivalry book is a double fault. Jimmy connors memoir shows he wasnt misunderstood, he. He would win 77 tourlevel titles during his career and record 877 wins 83 against the top 10, and he is now a consistent force on the atp champions tour but there is more to mcenroe than what you saw on. Just about all the major rivals of mcenroe have their say in this bookconnors, borg, lendl, wilander, gullikson, gottfried, etc. Apr 27, 2011 my obsession was fuelled by the big names of open tennis, new and exciting, loud and brash. With john mcenroe, bjorn borg and ilie nastase, there were ferocious rivalries, epic. On page it was claimed two years before the 1980 us open fiveset semifinal between jimmy connors and john mcenroe, the same two players clashed at the us open in the quarterfinals, which is actually incorrect. If you are a tennis fan, it is definitely worth reading to take you back to the late 1970s and early 1980s, the era of borg, mcenroe, connors, gerulaitis, and vilas. Sep 22, 1999 in a conference call with british tennis reporters, connors bristled when asked if agassi deserved to be linked with pete sampras and retired greats like himself, john mcenroe and bjorn borg. The outsider is a noholdsbarred memoir by the original bad boy of tennis, jimmy connors connors ignited the tennis boom in the 1970s with his aggressive style of play, turning his matches with john mcenroe, bjorn borg, and ivan lendl into prizefights. Bjorn borg vs jimmy connors sf us open 1981 stephane amady. Mcenroe is an anecdotally gratifying, psychologically nuanced, and dramatically agile character study of borg, but, despite its extended depictions of a celebrated match, its not a. Bjorn borg vs john mcenroe, the greatest rivalry ever.
Borg defeated connors at wimbledon again in the 1978 final, this time in straight sets, to claim his third straight wimbledon title. Twice borg served for the first set, but mcenroe managed to close 76. Bad news for mcenroe by bill scanlon overdrive rakuten. They were nicknamed fire and ice with john mcenroes aggression and bjorn borgs cool poise creating one of sports most famous rivalries. His father, the son of irish immigrants, was at the time stationed with the united states air force. After that defeat, borg walked off the court and out of the stadium before the ceremonies and press conference had begun, and headed straight for the airport. Bjorn borg vs jimmy connors sf us open 1981 youtube. Sep 19, 2017 in 1980, mcenroe took revenge after beating connors in a 4 hours and 16 minutes semifinals. May 09, 2018 john mcenroe explains why he respects, but doesnt like jimmy connors, including stories ranging from their first meeting at wimbledon to connors walking off.
Want to learn more about one of the atp world tours most recognisable figures. Open final weekends, when mcenroe and connors would battle in semifinals on saturday for the privilege of playing borg the next day in the finals. The tennis players bjorn borg and john mcenroe met 14 times on the regular tour and 22 times in total, with their oncourt rivalry highlighted by their contrasting temperaments and styles. This book tells the story of the borgmcenroe dynamic, finishing with their last grand slam final at. Buy a cheap copy of you cannot be serious book by john mcenroe. Jul 08, 2018 john mcenroe admits his old attitude was too much for him, and maybe for others, and also tells sean ingle how much he missed bjorn borg when the swede retired at 25. This book tells the story of the borg mcenroe dynamic, finishing with their last grand slam final at the us open in 1981. Janus metzs borgmcenroe paints a very different picture, diving into both mens psyches to find them all but identical, differing only in their outward manifestations of relentless pressure. Sep 15, 2007 mcenroe was a better shot maker, net player and a great volleyer. Apr 11, 2018 borgs ability to suppress any emotion. Mcenroe was a better shot maker, net player and a great volleyer. While i wouldnt say the movie is a must watch it definitely makes you soak in the golden era of bjorn borg and john mcenroe, two of the games greatest players. He lives in westchester, new york, with his wife and three.
We caught up with him to find out about his favourite memories, whom he admires and more. He was known for his shotmaking artistry and volleying skills, and for confrontational oncourt behavior that frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities. Borg was a standin for jimmy connors, who pulled out of the world team tennis event between mcenroe s new york sportimes and the philadelphia freedoms, after he injured his knee. John mcenroe, bjrn borg, and the greatest tennis season. Mcenroe fully details his most significant triumphs and losses e. Although connors tour record against mcenroe was 1420, mcenroe is six years younger than connors and had a losing record against connors until he won 12 out of their last 14 meetings. In 1980, mcenroe took revenge after beating connors in a 4 hours and 16 minutes semifinals. Sep 22, 2017 as the new borg vs mcenroe movie enjoyed its general release in the uk on friday, john mcenroe delivered a typically withering critique of its inaccuracies the problem, mcenroe said, was that. Ive always enjoyed books about or written by john mcenroe. Jul 08, 2016 they were nicknamed fire and ice with john mcenroe s aggression and bjorn borg s cool poise creating one of sports most famous rivalries.
The outsider is a noholdsbarred memoir by the original bad boy of tennis, jimmy connors. And i did research an old video interview a friend of mine did with borg many years ago where he talked about playing john and the friend did give me permission to use some of that interview for facing mcenroe. It is no secret that john mcenroe is one of the best players in tennis history. John mcenroe, his bete noire, wrote in his 2002 memoir, you cannot be serious, about his first meeting with connors. As the new borg vs mcenroe movie enjoyed its general release in the uk on friday, john mcenroe delivered a typically withering critique of its inaccuracies the problem, mcenroe said, was that. John mcenroe explains why he respects, but doesnt like jimmy connors, including stories ranging from their first meeting at wimbledon to connors walking off. Borg was known for his cool and emotionless demeanor on court, while mcenroe was famed for his courtside tantrums. Try to think of something to say about some of the. My obsession was fuelled by the big names of open tennis, new and exciting, loud and brash. It was in the locker room before their semifinal match at the 1977 wimbledon. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
Apr 14, 2018 borg vs mcenroe opens with a mishmash of eras. Bjorn borgjohn mcenroe rivalry book is a double fault. Connors ignited the tennis boom in the 1970s with his aggressive style of play, turning his matches with john mcenroe, bjorn borg, and ivan lendl into. Jimmy connors discusses his wimbledon memories and famous. Bad news for mcenroe is in part a revelation of the feud between mcenroe and the author that began when they were teenagers, but the essence of this book are the wonderful and surprising on and offthecourt high jinks of such notable players as guillermo vilas, borg, mcenroe, ilie nastase and connors, all of whom scanlan played and knew.