The buzz around last weekend’s Staples Champions Cup wasn’t as much around the tournament as it was “the matchup.” Bjorn Borg versus John McEnroe, Sweden versus USA — for all the marbles, sort of.
Thirty years after their epic clash at Wimbledon, McEnroe lessened the sting of his loss to the Swede, winning their semifinal 6-4, 7-6 (3), and providing Boston a rare look at one of sports’ greatest rivalries.
“We both enjoy it, and I think it shows,” said Borg. “Every time we play we produce good tennis that people remember.”
The most memorable was the 1980 Wimbledon final where Borg defeated McEnroe to earn his fifth straight Wimbledon title in what is widely regarded as the greatest tennis match ever played.
But their most recent matchup went a little different. In the end, however, Borg, 53, couldn’t hold off the 51-year-old McEnroe.
Still, McEnroe delighted crowds with a few infamous rants, admitting that he still likes “to play intense.”
McEnroe battled Mark Philippoussis in the final, but lost to the Aussie 6-3, 4-6, 10-5.
