“The greatest match I ever saw” – John McEnroe picks 2008 Wimbledon final as the standout moment of Roger Federer’s career
John McEnroe recently made an unusual choice, picking one of Roger Federer’s biggest losses against Rafael Nadal as the standout moment of the Swiss' career.
Former arch-rivals McEnroe and Borg, who are gearing up to captain Team World and Team Europe respectively at the Laver Cup, were asked on Wednesday to pick significant moments from the retiring Federer's career. The American picked Federer's 2008 Wimbledon final loss to Rafael Nadal, declaring that it was the greatest match ever.
He also talked about the manner of the loss to justify the unique choice.
“That was, at that time, the greatest match I ever saw. It’s okay to remember one that he lost because of the way that he lost. He couldn’t give any more,” McEnroe said.
McEnroe further tried to justify the choice by mentioning that his own standout match was the one he lost against Borg at Wimbledon in 1980.
"There’s still a lot of talk about my match against Bjorn at Wimbledon in 1980 and I lost, so it’s okay to pick a Roger loss as that one moment,” he said.
The 2008 final at SW19 was the third consecutive Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal, with the former having emerged victorious in the previous two meetings on the Center Court. Heading into that contest, the Swiss maestro was the five-time defending champion at the event and was on the hunt for a 13th Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard, meanwhile, had claimed four consecutive titles at Roland Garros and was in pursuit of a fifth Grand Slam - this time on a new surface.
The championship match lasted nearly five hours and the score settled in Nadal's favor this time around with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory. Many have since considered it to be the greatest match in tennis history.
#roger 
@Wimbledon@RafaelNadal – @rogerfederer
@Wimbledon 2008 : un des plus grands matches de l’histoire 🎾🔥💯
Merci 🙏 #roger
🎥@Wimbledon https://t.co/LvZPx4l32M
Borg, meanwhile, made a safe choice by picking Federer’s sole French Open title in 2009 as the stand-out moment of his career. With that victory, Federer completed the career Grand Slam and also leveled Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
June 7, 2009: Roger Federer finally completes a career Grand Slam defeating Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the final of the French Open in Paris. The title is Federer’s 14th major singles title, equaling the record of Pete Sampras. https://t.co/RAV1x5tuBi
John McEnroe fancies Team World’s chances against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s Team Europe
John McEnroe, who will be seen captaining Team World, believes his team has a chance of winning the Laver Cup against Bjorn Borg’s Team Europe.
McEnroe’s team majorly comprises of younger players like Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Alex de Minaur, Jack Sock, Diego Schwartzman, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul (alternate).
Team Europe captain Bjorn Borg, meanwhile, will handle the star-studded lineup of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud and Matteo Berrettini (alternate).
However, McEnroe said that his team had a glimmer of hope as he pointed to certain downsides in the opposing team.
“Bjorn’s got a dream team, but you’ve got Roger announcing his retirement, Andy struggling to get back to as healthy as before and Rafa’s wife back at home expecting a baby, so that gives us some hope,” he said.
The Laver Cup will be played from September 23-25 at the O2 Arena in London.
Captains Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe are on deck to renew their storied rivalry.
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