'He never did much with me" - Bjorn Borg recalls John McEnroe's on-court behavior, mutual 'respect' on and off-court
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe shared one of the sport’s most famous on-court rivalries that spanned a short but eventful four years. The duo officially met 14 times, and their head-to-head is evenly split at 7-7.
In recent years, Borg and McEnroe have reunited on the tennis court, albeit in a different capacity. They have become the coaches of Team Europe and Team World, respectively, at the Laver Cup.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Borg reminisced about his relationship with McEnroe, a player known for his fiery temper. Despite McEnroe's confrontational behavior, Borg revealed that they never had any personal conflicts. Borg attributed their cordial relationship to the mutual respect they shared, both on and off the court.
"When we played, he was always OK. Looking back, he never did much with me. We respected each other too much, I think, both on and off the court," Borg said.
McEnroe then said that he was hoping to win the Laver Cup, as this is his last year as Team Europe's coach. The former world number one acknowledged the difficult defeats of the previous two years but expressed great confidence in his group.
"I’m going to have great players in Berlin. I want to win. It’s my last year. I lost the last two years," he said. "I want to win again, but I don’t know, Team World is very good. John McEnroe and I are good friends, but he wants to win, too."
"We have always enjoyed being competitive" - Bjorn Borg on fellow Laver Cup coach John McEnroe
Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be coaching the two teams at this year’s Laver Cup, set to be played between September 20 and 22. The Swede expressed his excitement, saying he and McEnroe have always enjoyed being competitive.
This competitive spirit, he noted, has carried over into their coaching roles. Borg also expressed his anticipation for seeing McEnroe at the tournament.
"We have always enjoyed being competitive. We were such big rivals and when he is coaching we are still very competitive. To see him now is so special. We keep in contact, but to see him is something else," he added.
Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz will lead Team Europe at this year's Laver Cup, while Team World will be spearheaded by Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.