Fire and Ice: How Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe defined tennis rivalries

While tennis has had no shortage of incredible rivalries over the years, few of them can match the intensity and excitement that the Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe match-up had to offer.

In the 1970s, the two men played legendary matches against each other. Their matches were always a spectacle as the two opposing forces couldn't be more...well opposing.  The "Showman" McEnroe, passionate and unpredictable, and the "Iceman" Borg, known for his ice-cold composure.

On one side there was fire. Glowing, unpredictable and spectacular: That was John McEnroe. The American had a very offensive approach, especially with his dreaded serve.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

On the other side was the ice. Cool, calm and efficient: nothing could harm Bjorn Borg. The undeterred Swede was nicknamed "Iceborg" and was known for his defense and baseline play.

It all started in 1978. Bjorn Borg was already a terror on the court, winning his first French Open in 1974 when he was just 18 years old. In 1975 he repeated this success before winning Wimbledon in 1976 and 1977.

Bjorn Borg was 22 at the time and had four Grand Slam titles. McEnroe was only 19 and had yet to win a major title save for a semi-final at Wimbledon in 1977, as documented by World Tennis magazine.

The two met for the first time in 1978 and to everyone's surprise it was John McEnroe who defeated Bjorn Borg in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals in Stockholm.

Despite that loss, 1978 was Bjorn Borg's year as the Swede won the French Open and Wimbledon for a third time. He seemed untouchable.

Only one person seemed able to stop him: John McEnroe. The American, who won the US Open in 1979, made his mark at the tournament and began showing the world his talent – and his legendary passion.

In 1980, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe met seven times, with the Swede winning four times. Right at the beginning of the season, "Iceborg" won the French Open and aimed for the fifth double "Roland Garros - Wimbledon" title.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

Except that John McEnroe stood in the way of his road to success. The American was aiming for his first success on the London turf and met his closest rival in the final. The match between the two stars is considered by tennis fans to be one of the greatest in history.

Everything was there: the commitment, the excitement, and the narrative. Bjorn Borg was the favorite but he was down 6-1 to McEnroe in a one-sided first set. The American was on cloud nine and celebrated his game.

The Swede, who had his back against the wall, woke up and won the next two sets 7-5 and 6-3. The fourth set was the climax of the match, as McEnroe pushed Borg into the tiebreak. "Iceborg" was only missing this tie-break to decide the game.

With nerves of steel, McEnroe saved seven match points and eventually won the tiebreak 18-16. A legendary moment, lasting 22 minutes, that propelled the two men into a fiery fifth set.

In the end, after a hard fight, Borg won 1:6, 7:5, 6:3, 6:7, 8:6. A very high-level match that brought the rivalry between the two men to a climax.

A few months later, the rivals faced each other again in the final of the US Open. Crowd favorite John McEnroe won the American Grand Slam for a second time at the age of just 21 by beating the Swede in a five-set match in a must-see match.

In 1981, both men were at the peak of their careers: Bjorn Borg was 25 and McEnroe was 22. The Swede won his sixth French Open and started again as the favorite for the double with Wimbledon.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

For his part, John McEnroe was more passionate than ever. In the first round of the London Grand Slam, the American met his compatriot Tom Gullikson. When he led 5:4 in the second set, the left-hander had serve.

He was more tense than ever as he was about to serve after the linesman announced. He served and made an ace, but the linesman ruled that an out.

The match referee, Edward James, tried to explain the situation to John McEnroe – to no avail. The American pulled the emergency brake and began a legendary tirade: "You can't be serious. Chalk came up all over the place, you can't be serious man. You cannot be serious, that ball was on the line," he said, as reported by Reuters.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!

And McEnroe was unstoppable: "Everybody knows it's in in the whole stadium and you call it out? You guys are the absolute pits of the world, you know that?"

Despite this freak, he prevailed in three sets and reached the final against the still calm Bjorn Borg. To the whistles of the British crowd, John McEnroe won in four sets.

In the US Open final, he repeated his performance against Bjorn Borg and increased the result to 7:1. Unfortunately, this final was to be the last match between the two men.

Afterwards, Bjorn Borg explained that he was no longer motivated to play: "I know it sounds crazy, but I was not disappointed at all (his loss at Wimbledon in 1981). Back in the locker room I wasn't sad. It was weird," as Medium recounted.

'Iceborg' explained: "When I arrived at the hotel, I never thought about defeat. That's when I realized something was wrong. This scenario was repeated a few months later at the US Open."

"After John McEnroe's win, I drove straight to my home on Long Island at the time. I jumped into the pool like a vacationer. There, while lounging, I realized that the motivation was no longer there. That day, at the age of At the age of 25, I decided to end my career. A decision I have never regretted."

The 2017 film 'Borg/McEnroe' tells the story of this legendary rivalry between the two men. A duel between two young, brilliant players who couldn't have been more different. A rivalry that is somewhat reminiscent of the rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal years later.

Want to see more like this? Follow us here for daily sports news, profiles and analysis!