McEnroe/ Borg: Fire & Ice
It is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan. The French Open concluded and the biggest tennis tournament of the year, Wimbledon, is following shortly. In the semifinals of the French Open, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in an epic five set match. It got me thinking about great tennis rivalries. The rivalry between Nadal and Roger Federer has been the best in the last decade. The other combinations between Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer have been one of the better ones in history. The Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi rivalry was the best in the 1990s.
Before all of those rivalries, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg captivated the tennis world. “McEnroe/Borg: Fire and Ice” is a HBO documentary (2011) about how those careers intertwined and became a great rivalry and friendship. If you are a tennis fan, it is a must see. The documentary begins with McEnroe and Borg returning to Centre Court in London and reminiscing about their match the 1980 Wimbledon Final, considered one of the greatest matches in tennis history. Throughout the hour documentary, each player individually gives their thoughts back at the key parts of their lives, careers, and rivalry.
First up is Bjorn Borg or “Ice”. Borg was born in Stockholm, Sweden. We learn that when he was young, he had a temper and showed it by cursing and throwing his racket. Consequently, he gets suspended for 6 months by the tennis club for his behavior. For this reason, Borg learns to have ice veins and be stoic and not show any emotion regardless of how he feels. It served him well as he became a teen tennis prodigy and went professional at age 14. Moreover, he was a tennis teen idol. He was the first tennis rock star and Borg mania rivaled Beatlemania. His long blonde hair and good looks (think Thor with a tennis racket) attracted the affection of women around the world. He was the youngest French Open champion when he won it in 1974 at age 18. He would also go on to win the 1976 Wimbledon at the age of 20 without dropping a single set in the entire tournament to firmly establish himself as the best player in tennis.
Next, we have John McEnroe or “Fire”. McEnroe grew up in Douglaston, Queens. His father was a partner in a prominent law firm in Manhattan. In his teenage years, his nickname was “runt”. When he was in high school, he had outbursts when he played team sports. He did not want to deal with coaches or other players and thus chose to concentrate on tennis. Interestingly, he also had an opportunity to be a ball boy at the US Open and was able to see Borg play in person. McEnroe notes that seeing rock star persona inspired him to follow the same path so he could experience the same. McEnroe first made noise in the tennis world when he was able to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon as an 18 year old amateur in the 1977 Wimbledon before he was defeated by another great tennis player, Jimmy Connors. Besides his stellar play, he was also negatively received for his fiery personality with his shouting in frustration coupled with throwing and kicking his racket which will continue. As we know, it is a staple of his career.
The first match between McEnroe and Borg was in the 1978 Stockholm Open. McEnroe beat Borg in straight sets, which McEnroe recalls as a significant moment in his career. In one of their subsequent matches in New Orleans, the documentary does an excellent job highlighting the moment the two players started their friendship. During that match, McEnroe is losing and having outbursts in frustration. As a result, Borg calls him to the net to have a few words. McEnroe has all the respect in the world for Borg and admires him. At that point, McEnroe is dreading that his idol has had enough of his tantrums and calling him over to lambast him. Instead, Borg had liked McEnroe from the beginning and was calling him over to tell him to relax and that it was just a game. Having gained acceptance from the player he respected the most and the best player in the sport, McEnroe was able to relax and came back to win that match.
In the 1980 Wimbledon, McEnroe is finally able to get to the Final by beating Jimmy Connors to set up the first meeting in a Major between him and Borg. However, McEnroe does not get to the Final without controversy over his eccentric behavior and tantrums. As a certain point in the semifinals, Connors is fed up with McEnroe’s behavior and tells him to keep his mouth shut. As Wimbledon is a classy, tranquil, and serene atmosphere and crowd, McEnroe’s style is not received well. In fact, McEnroe is actually booed before the start of the Finals but he would give them something to cheer for soon enough. McEnroe won the first set easily 6-1 before Borg came back to win the second and third sets 7-5 and 6-3. The fourth set was epic as McEnroe won an 18-16 tiebreaker and saved 5 Championship points along the way. Still thinking about the tiebreak, Borg fell behind 0-30 on the first point of the game but recovered to hold serve and held serve throughout the rest of the set as he won the set 8-6 and the match. McEnroe and Borg remembering and talking about this match was definitely the highlight of the documentary.
The two players would meet again in US Open the same year and again played in an epic 5 set final. However, McEnroe was able to change the outcome to win and deny Borg’s chance at his first US Open. They would also meet in the Wimbledon Final again in 1981. However, the pressure of returning to the Final clearly weighed heavy on McEnroe as his tantrums were more extreme. During that tournament, the media labeled him as a “Superbrat”. He also had his “You cannot be serious” outburst where he verbally abused the umpire and incurred a point penalty. Nevertheless, McEnroe was able to return to the Final and this time prevailed in five sets against Borg. They would also meet again in the US Open that year. Borg took the first set but McEnroe rebounded to win the match in 4 sets to again deny Borg a US Open title. However, McEnroe recalls that something was wrong with the body language of Borg. Of course, McEnroe is correct as it was Borg’s last match as he retired soon after the match. In a confessional for the documentary, Borg recalls the decision was made at the beginning of the year as he was exhausted from 10 years of traveling and training since he was 15 and that he had lost the desire to win. At age 25 and in his prime, Borg retires.
The documentary goes on to comment on what could have been as we were denied 2-3 more years of this legendary rivalry. Sports writer, Mike Lupica, comments that it is when the music stopped for McEnroe when Borg retired. While McEnroe wins 2 more Wimbledon and one more US Open as well as sharing the number 1 ranking with Jimmy Connors in that time, McEnroe needed Borg to be around to drive him to be even better. McEnroe notes that he saw Borg only a few times between 1981 and 1984. In each of times, McEnroe asked Borg when he was coming back. When McEnroe started losing the desire to win in 1985, he reaches out to Borg as he was the only one that knew how McEnroe felt. Ultimately, McEnroe takes a sabbatical from tennis in 1986 before returning but never wins another Major. Seemingly linked, neither Borg nor McEnroe won a Major after the age of 25.
After Borg retires, he finds difficulty filling the void in his life left by tennis. He gets divorced, has a custody battle with a Swedish model, and has another quick, failed marriage. Moreover, he almost goes bankrupt due to getting involved with bad business partners. He also overdosed on sleeping pills which the press originally thought was a suicide attempt. Eventually, he makes a comeback after ten years. However, the game has passed him by as he was using wooden rackets against the modern rackets. He never won a single match in his comeback. However, a senior tennis circuit begins and both McEnroe and Borg play in it. Both men admit that it was a soothing experience and that it helped them grow a great friendship. Borg actually serves as a groomsman during McEnroe’s wedding for his second marriage. Borg also bounces back business wise by launching a successful Bjorn Borg fashion label.
The documentary ends back at the beginning scene at Centre Court with McEnroe and Borg continuing to reminisce about the 1980 Wimbledon Final with Borg telling McEnroe that he would have won the match if McEnroe broke his serve on the first point of the fifth set. This documentary is a 10/10 and I highly recommend it. It is a must see for tennis fans.