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Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe had a short but fierce rivalry during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though the two locked horns on just 14 occasions, they played some of the most scintillating matches in the history of the sport.
The most iconic of these fixtures was probably the 1980 Wimbledon final, in which Borg won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(16), 8-6. While McEnroe produced some sensational tennis and saved seven championship points, the Swede's resilience saw him come out on top.
Bjorn Borg spoke to Pat Cash back in 2016 about the thrilling match that lasted three hours and 53 minutes. The Swede said that a lot of people appreciated that final and that John McEnroe got a lot of respect for the way he played and behaved.
"I think a lot of people appreciate that final. They say they knew exactly where they were sitting watching the final. But even when I speak to John too, sometimes we get together, the thing is that we both remember everything in point. I think that's how it meant a lot to both us. He got a lot of respect from the world, from the people, from the spectators, from media, from everyone for how he behaved and how he played that particular match," Borg said.
"I know he respects me"- Bjorn Borg on John McEnroe
Speaking further on his relationship with John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg said that he knows that the American has a lot of respect for him and even stated the reasons for that.
"I know he respects me because in the beginning when we started to play, like, our first 3-4 matches, he felt like I was not a bad guy. It was more like I wanted to help him in certain ways because, in certain ways, he misbehaved or he didn't know how to act or how to behave or what to do," Bjorn Borg said.
"I thought he was learning a lot of positive things and he felt that I wanted to help him with those kind of things. So I think that's why he always respected me not only as a player but even as a person," the Swede added.
Borg and John McEnroe locked horns on another six occasions after the 1980 Wimbledon final. These included three Grand Slam finals, with the Swede winning that year's US Open while the American triumphed in the title clashes at Wimbledon and the US Open in 1981.
