Tennis on Film: Rating Borg vs. McEnroe (2017), an internationally awarded tennis film that doesn’t get enough credit

One of the biggest surprises of the 2025 film awards season was seeing the way Challengers (2024)—a film starring Zendaya set on the lowest rungs of the professional tennis tour—was completely panned by the Academy of Motion Pictures.

Despite all the buzz around its Golden Globes-winning techno soundtrack created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the Luca Guadagnino film didn’t receive a nomination in any category—triggering waves of online discourse among movie fans.

Read More: ‘Challengers’ star Josh O’Connor reacts to film’s Academy Awards snub

For tennis fans, though, that’s just par for the course: Even the most highly acclaimed films where tennis plays a significant role seem to get regularly overlooked by awards committees. The biggest one in recent years, King Richard (2021), finally broke the joyless streak when Will Smith won an Oscar for his performance as Serena and Venus Williams’ father and coach.

In this Baseline series, our editors break down what makes a ‘good’ tennis movie by dissecting some of the sport’s cult classics through the lens of a fan—next up is the 2017 drama Borg vs. McEnroe.

Borg vs. McEnroe (2017)

• Directed by Janus Metz
• Starring Shia LaBeouf, Sverrir Gudnason, Stellan Skarsgård

Synopsis: Based on the true story of the 1980 men’s singles Wimbledon championship, all eyes were on world No. 1 Björn Borg who was chasing his fifth consecutive title—a feat no one in tennis history had achieved before. The only contender in his way was the rising John McEnroe, world No. 2 in rankings and three years younger than the Swede. Flashbacks to their younger selves serve to illustrate the contrast in their playing styles, the way they handle the pressures of the demanding sport, and the opposite ends that the media spotlight forced on them both.

Rating the tennis: 3/5

Dramatic umpire confrontation? Yes

The story of Borg and McEnroe were at the forefront of the film, with umpire confrontations by the rising American essntial to portray his personality. However, the tennis playing was not the star. Although Borg’s infamous two-to-one-handed backhand was portrayed accurately, most of the tennis points, shots, and on-court happenings were edited to highlight the intensity of the moment rather than showcase the players’ game. FlickFilosopher notes that “the game is comprehensible even to those not in the know about the arcana of the rules and the oddities of scoring…we understand what is at stake for each man beyond the ambition to win.”

Rating the on-court fashion: 4/5

Are the outfits believable? Yes

Every stripe is accounted for during their Wimbledon runs, from Borg’s Fila headband to the sleeves on McEnroe’s polo. Borg’s trophy presentation look even had the stripes at the edge of the long-sleeve zip-up. The two have recreated these fits in years since, as this five-set match was the marking of a new era in the sport.

Rating the soundtrack & score: 4/5

Exaggerated tennis grunts? No

As the film’s intention is to highlight the intensity of being a professional tennis player more so than the tennis itself, the score plays a significant role in pressure-building. Top New Yorker critic Richard Brody writes that the movie “is an anecdotally gratifying, psychologically nuanced, and dramatically agile character study of Borg, but despite its extended depictions of a celebrated match, it’s not a satisfying tennis movie at all.”

Critical Reception & Box Office Performance:

• Rotten Tomatoes score: 84/100 (critics), 73/100 (audience)

According to Rotten Tomatoes, this movie “brings the absolute best” out of Shia LaBeouf, with the actor contrast playing well into the Borg-McEnroe contrast both on and off the court. With a $7.5 million production budget, the film grossed $8,593,527 worldwide, with Italy accounting for a majority of the sales, and $231,346 in the U.S. and Canada.

Accolades, Awards & Nominations:

The film garnered fourteen international nominations, winning seven awards in 2017 (3) and 2018 (4). In 2017, Metz won Best Directorial Debut, and at both the Noordelijk Film Festival and the International Film Festival, Borg vs. McEnroe won Best Film. In 2018, they won The Lost Weekend’s Best Film award and Best International Feature (audience award), as well as Best Visual Effects and Best Supporting Actor (Skarsgård) at Guldbagge Awards.

Verdict:

Does it pass the tennis fan test? Yes

This movie is not about cringing at exaggerated tennis form, improper footwork or unrealistic points. This is about feeling the real sacrifice it takes to be a professional tennis player, whether world No. 1 with titles to defend (Borg) or the newcomer on the block proving they belong (McEnroe). Each player is at two drastically different points in life, both personally and professionally, yet their similarities unspokenly shine through. Any tennis fan at any level of the game will relate to the harsh realities of balancing off-court pressures and on-court goals.

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