Bjorn Borg's 5 biggest rivals: From John McEnroe to Jimmy Connors

Bjorn Borg of Sweden was one of the greatest male tennis players in the 1970s and early 1980s. He won 11 Grand Slam titles in a relatively brief career, retiring at 26. He made a brief comeback years later but failed to recreate the magic.

Borg spent a quite creditable 109 weeks as the world No. 1 during his short career. He won six French Open and five consecutive Wimbledon titles but failed to win the US Open despite reaching the final of the tournament on a few occasions. In this article, we will take a look at Borg's five greatest rivals. Let us get on with the list:

#5. Ivan Lendl:

Borg was older than Lendl by a few years and hence, the Swede played a very young version of the latter. Borg led their head-to-head 6-2. His most memorable victory over Lendl came in the French Open final in 1981, in which the Swede prevailed in five sets.

However, Lendl managed to beat Borg in a couple of matches on hard courts. Lendl's playing style resembled that of Borg to a large extent, with both of them being typical baseliners.

#4. Guillermo Vilas:

Vilas from Argentina was the second-best player on clay behind Borg in the 1970s. Borg had the upper hand in their rivalry, winning 17 of the 22 clashes between the two players. Two of Borg's victories over Vilas came in Grand Slams, with the former prevailing in the 1976 French Open final and the 1978 Wimbledon quarterfinal.

However, Vilas beat Borg in a couple of matches in the ATP Finals. The Argentine was a fine player in his own right but simply came up against a superior player in Borg often.

#3. Ilie Nastase:

Borg enjoyed a close rivalry with Nastase, who was one of the best players in the 1970s. However, Borg managed to lead their head-to-head 10-7. The Swede defeated Nastase in a couple of matches at Wimbledon.

However, Nastase managed to beat Borg on a few occasions on clay. The Romanian was a fine player on clay but often found it difficult to get past the Swede on the surface.

#2. Jimmy Connors:

Borg often fought with Connors for supremacy in the 1970s and early 1980s. The two players played with each other 23 times, with Borg winning 15 of those matches. Borg often got the better of Connors on grass, beating the latter thrice at Wimbledon.

However, Connors beat the Swede thrice at the US Open, thereby enjoying a better record on hard courts. Connors was actually older than Borg but retired from the game much, much later.

#1. John McEnroe:

Borg's rivalry with McEnroe was the stuff legends are made of. McEnroe's serve-and-volley game made a stark contrast with Borg's from baseline and the two players played some unforgettable matches on grass, including the Wimbledon finals in 1980 and 1981.

Borg beat McEnroe in an epic five-setter in the 1980 Wimbledon final, but the latter got his revenge the next year.

The two players clashed with each other on 14 occasions, with each of them winning seven matches. McEnroe won each of their last three Grand Slam matches, including a couple of ones at the US Open, which hastened Borg's retirement.