#1. Bjorn Borg
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The Swedish is regarded to be one of the greatest players in tennis history. Known for his unorthodox back hand and powerful groundstrokes, Borg’s career win percentage of 82.74% has only been bettered by Novak Djokovic so far. A winner of six French Open titles and five consecutive Wimbledon titles, Borg was at the top of the ATP rankings for a total of 109 weeks.
However, one of Borg’s biggest disappointments would be his inability to win a single US Open title despite reaching the final four times with Jimmy Connors winning on the first two occasions and John McEnroe being the victor on the other two occasions. His first appearance at the final came in 1976 when the tournament was being played on clay court. He beat former World No.1 Ilie Nastase in straight sets to setup a final clash with Jimmy Connors. However, Connors beat him in four sets by the scoreline of 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Two years later, Borg was again beaten in the final hurdle by Connors, this time in straight sets. He made it to the final another two years later and this time was up against defending champion John McEnroe whom he had beaten in the Wimbledon final. The match was one of the most exciting US Open matches ever as the match went to five sets with McEnroe prevailing 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4.
He once again faced McEnroe in the final after losing to him in the Wimbledon final. Borg took the first set 6-4 but McEnroe bounced back to take the next three sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. This match was Borg’s final Grand Slam match.
