Brad Gilbert claims Rafael Nadal wouldn't lose more than 1 set to Bjorn Borg on clay

Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest claycourters in the history of tennis. And while Nadal is vastly ahead in terms of statistics, the difference in their eras makes it tough to predict who would win in a straight shootout between the two.

Renowned coach Brad Gilbert and former player Patrick McEnroe recently came together to discuss a hypothetical match-up between Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal on the claycourts of Roland Garros. The Americans were speaking on a podcast called Holding Court, and they analyzed the likely outcomes with both wooden and modern racquets.

Here is the podcast with @bgtennisnation Fun stuff https://t.co/hxN4QOcYA4

— Patrick McEnroe (@PatrickMcEnroe) August 18, 2020

Rafael Nadal would beat Borg in straight sets with a wooden racquet: Brad Gilbert

While comparing players from different eras several additional aspects have to be factored in, one of which is the racquet technology available to each player. While Bjorn Borg used a wooden racquet for most of his career, Rafael Nadal avails the services of modern day metal-framed racquets.

Rafael Nadal is the King of Clay

Brad Gilbert and Patrick McEnroe first decided to compare Borg and Nadal based on the usage of wooden racquets. It was also assumed for the sake of the analysis that Nadal would be accustomed to wooden frames too.

Bjorn Borg in action on clay

The match-up was agreed to be a best-of-five-sets final at the French Open. Of course, this is a title that Borg won six times during his career, whereas Nadal’s tally is currently double of that.

Brad Gilbert took charge of the discussion as he started breaking down Borg’s playing style and physical structure.

“This is an interesting question because Borg was maybe the first player of the 70s that played more of a modern game that you see today. He wasn’t a big guy, about 5’11", but lightning fast,” Gilbert said.

Bjorn Borg in action with his wooden racquet

For John McEnroe’s brother, Borg had a superior serve than Nadal, which would be an important element of the matchup.

“I think Borg’s first serve was very underrated and I give the edge on the serve to Borg in this matchup. But would Nadal’s 2nd serve be as weak on the wood racquet? I say yes,” McEnroe said.

Gilbert agreed with that assessment, saying:

“His second serve obviously wouldn’t be as good because he’s playing with the old strings instead of the tight gut strings."

Gilbert, however, put special emphasis on the exceptional court-positioning of the powerful Mallorcan. According to Gilbert, Rafael Nadal would find it easier to take advantage of short responses than most of the players that Borg faced in the 70s.

“I think the huge factor in the match with wooden racquets would be court position," Gilbert said. "Rafa would dominate court-position as Borg would play way far back would hit lot of balls short. Rafa wouldn’t struggle as much with balls above his shoulder like guys in those days did."

Rafael Nadal has one of the biggest forehands in the game

Rafael Nadal has one of the best forehands in the history of the sport, which for Gilbert would be key in this hypothetical clash. The American very confidently claimed that the power in Nadal’s forehand would exploit Borg’s court positioning and make it easier to find winners.

Brad Gilbert’s final verdict was that Rafael Nadal would win the match in straight sets.

“I think that he would just pound away with the forehand and have Borg stretch back. I think he would just hammer away with the inside out forehand. With wood racquets I’m feeling like maybe 1 tight set,” Gilbert said.

“On clay, there is no way Borg will be able to stop the onslaught of the Rafa forehand and backhand and he takes it in straight sets,” he continued.

Rafael Nadal would beat Bjorn Borg with modern racquets as well: Brad Gilbert

Bjorn Borg with Rafael Nadal

Gilbert and McEnroe continued their discussion about Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal, this time factoring in the usage of modern racquets. Modern-day racquet technology has famously made things easier for players by improving the spin and speed of their shots.

This would be beneficial to Borg’s serve, according to Gilbert. However, he feels that Rafael Nadal would eventually triumph in four sets due to his superior physicality and ability to dominate the mid-court area.

“I think with new tech, Borg would have a better shot. I think Borg would serve around 135 and have a bigger serve and gotten more bounce off the ball," Gilbert said. "I’ll give Borg a set because he’s gonna get free points of his serve but Nadal wins 6-4 7-5 3-6 7-5."

“A tight 4 setter with modern equipment," he added. "Rafa is bigger, stronger and his ability to dominate from the mid-court area is just the overlying factor.”