There have been few tales which have been as riveting, memorable and era-defining because the enduring and endearing one that includes Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

Ice and fireplace. The archetypal champion towards the renegade. Europe vs America, which types the bedrock of the Laver Cup. The monikers have been many however few would disagree that it ended too quickly. And although the world considered them as opposites, the 2 protagonists get pleasure from a friendship that has lasted many years.

“John and I are great friends. We had a lot of good matches. We became very close after the 1980 Wimbledon final,” says Borg, who’s within the metropolis, on Tuesday.

“Before that (match) everyone knew he was a bit crazy on the court and in that match, he didn’t say a word and gained so much respect from the world because they saw a different side of him. To play that final was not only great for us but for tennis. It was a big thing for tennis around the world. To be part of that moment, I am proud of it. John is as well because we did something for the sport.”

That conflict has persistently featured among the many best matches checklist with books, documentaries and films chronicling the rivalry. It all ended abruptly as soon as Borg determined to stroll away from the game on the age of 26, nonetheless very a lot at his peak.

What if typically left unsaid is the impression it had on McEnroe. It took the American a number of years to search out his ft, and discover he did ending his profession with seven Grand Slam titles, with out his nice rival to push him.

“First match we ever played, I lost to him in Stockholm. The second time was in the US and he was up 6-5, 40-0 in the third set and I ended up winning and he was not happy. He was sitting in the dressing room for 4-5 hours. My coach came back because we forgot something and he was sitting there, he didn’t change or anything. At that moment, I respected him and he respected me,” mentioned the Swede.

“When I stepped away from the game, we played an exhibition game in Tokyo and he came and said ‘you can’t stop playing. I need you there.’ I said ‘I don’t want to play’. He was disappointed. He called me a year later and said ‘are you sure you don’t want to come back?’ It was very important for him because as long as I was there, he liked it, it pushed him.”

Switching focus again to a extra present matter, each Borg and Vijay Amritraj – pals for half a century – really feel the game of tennis is in good palms with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the brand new era arising.

“There will always be a generation of tennis players coming along. You have three guys who have dominated for 15 years and every time new guys come to push them they push themselves to get a little bit better,” mentioned Amritraj.

“They (The Big Three) are stubborn, hate to lose and love to win. Of course, you have to have the motivation to set new goals. (Now, Roger) Federer is retired. Nadal, we don’t know how many more years he will play. Djokovic has a chance to win 1-2 more Grand Slams. No one is bigger than tennis itself so it is important for the media to promote the new generation,” added Borg.