John McEnroe's volley, Jimmy Connors' backhand, Bjorn Borg's return and more: Patrick Mouratoglou picks his best players from the 1980s
Patrick Mouratoglou picked John McEnroe's volley, Jimmy Connors' backhand, and Bjorn Borg's return while choosing his best players from the 1980s.
Mouratoglou, who currently coaches Simona Halep, shared a video on Instagram where he picks the best features among tennis stars from the 1980s.
The Frenchman picked Ivan Lendl's forehand and opted for Jimmy Connors' flat, two-handed backhand. He chose three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker's one-handed backhand while picking Stefan Edberg's backhand slice.
When asked about the best serve, Mouratoglou picked Yannick Noah and chose Guillermo Vilas when asked who the biggest overachiever was. Vilas never became World No. 1 but had an illustrious career, winning 62 singles titles, including four Grand Slams.
Borg and McEnroe were the only players that Mouratoglou picked twice. The Frenchman picked Borg for best return and best fighter while picking McEnroe for best volleyer and best lefty.
How did Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors fare against one another?
Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors are three of the greatest players in tennis history and dominated the sport in their heyday. The three shared fierce rivalries against one another and played some thrilling encounters.
Borg and McEnroe played 14 matches against one another, with their head-to-head tied at 7-7. They locked horns in four Grand Slam finals, with McEnroe winning three of those (1980 and 1981 US Open, 1981 Wimbledon).
The only Major final where Borg beat the American was the famous one at Wimbledon in 1980. The Swede won the match 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6 to win the grass court Major for the fifth year in a row.
Borg and Connors locked horns on 23 occasions, with the former leading 15-8 in their head-to-head. The pair faced off in four Grand Slam finals, with Borg triumphing at Wimbledon in 1976 and 1978 while Connors won the US Open in 1977 and 1978.
The rivalry between Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe was fierce and contentious, with the two meeting on 34 occasions. The former dominated the early part of their rivalry but the latter took charge later on and ended up leading 20-14 in their the head-to-head.
Connors and McEnroe locked horns in two Wimbledon finals. The former won the 1982 final while the latter triumphed in 1984. The last meeting between the two Americans came in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors in 1991, with McEnroe winning 6-1, 6-3.