Borg could have won as many French Opens as Rafael Nadal with a different racquet, says John McEnroe's brother Patrick
John McEnroe's brother Patrick believes that if Bjorn Borg had used modern racquets, he could have won as many French Open titles as Rafael Nadal.
Nadal is often referred to as the 'King of Clay' due to his incredible achievements on the surface, including his record 14 titles at the French Open. Borg was also a clay court expert during his playing days, winning six French Open titles -- the second most in the Open Era after Nadal.
Former doubles specialist Patrick McEnroe believes that if Borg had access to the same Babolat racquet that Nadal uses, he would have maximized his serve and foot speed to win a lot more.
"If you gave Borg a Babolat the time he was a kid, I think he could have won as many French Opens as Nadal. People don't realize that Borg's serve was big and Borg was lightning fast. I mean, not fast, lightning fast," Patrick McEnroe said on the latest episode of the Courtside: The US Open Podcast.
The younger McEnroe went on to say that he and Brad Gilbert sometimes have conversations about what would happen if Borg played Nadal at Roland-Garros. Gilbert thinks that Nadal would completely dominate Borg, but McEnroe believes that even if Nadal won in the end, the match would be a five-set thriller.
"So, that's why I always have fun with BG, Brad Gilbert, we talk about like what if Borg played Nadal at French? He is like 'Oh no, Rafa is gonna kill him'," he said.
"And I am like 'No No No, hold on, wait, it's not Rafa's ball with a Babolat against Bjorg's ball with a Bancroft. Either both of them with the wood racquet or both of them growing up with the Babolat. I think Nadal probably wins, but that's going five (sets)'," he added.
Rafael Nadal's 2023 injury layoff continues with Madrid withdrawal
Rafael Nadal is currently recovering from the injury he suffered in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open against Mackenzie McDonald.
The Spaniard picked up an abdominal strain in Melbourne, similar to the one he suffered at Wimbledon in 2022. As a result, he was forced to withdraw from the Dubai Tennis Championships as well as the Qatar Open.
Nadal later announced his withdrawal from the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells and the Miami Open. This was followed by back-to-back-to-back withdrawals from the Monte-Carlo Masters, the Barcelona Open and the ongoing Madrid Masters.