Four more years have gone by and Borg has only become more dominant. It's June 1980, he’s in the middle of a 20-week run at No. 1, and he’s going after his fifth French Open against Vitas Gerulaitis, a close friend and a guy who would never beat him. I’m sure you know the American’s quote, “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row,” which he said after finally conquering Jimmy Connors. Maybe not, but another guy, Bjorn Borg, did beat him 16 times in row (and maybe more, depending on how the records are kept).
Here are some thoughts on Borg’s 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 demolition of Gerulaitis, and the subsequent interview and awards ceremony that are also shown in this clip.
—I don’t know how the match as a whole went, but these highlights make it look like the most grueling 4, 1, and 2 in history. So many different shots—forehand drops, backhand chip lobs, passes and approaches to each corner—from so many places on the court. Clay-court tennis is often thought to encourage a one-dimensional baseline game, but it’s not necessarily the case—it may even do the opposite. Borg, like Nadal today, shows how skilled he was at the cat-and-mouse game around the net, which is a big part of winning on dirt. He slides forward well, gets to the ball in time to use his touch, makes up for his awkward volleys by angling them sharply, and is agile enough to get back for pretty much any overhead.
—Love the Borg backhand, but does he come up out of it just a little early, straightening his front leg and losing some power? If so, he makes up for it by keeping his head down on the ball all the way through—very Federer-esque. Borg’s forehand looks perfectly measured on clay, great shoulder turn, head on the ball, rolling it just inside the baseline a hundred times in a row.
—For Gerulaitis, the drop shot seemed to be not a change of pace, but the only option available. What else was he going to do? I like the Gerulaitis game, which was darting and opportunistic at its best, but he’s not getting any opportunities here. The modern viewer must wonder how a guy with those short, chippy strokes ever reached the final at Roland Garros and won the Italian Open. I’m wondering myself.
—Borg's feet barely seem to come off the ground at times.
—Is that a yelp we hear from Borg after match point? I don’t think I ever heard that from him.
—Funny that he says winning a fifth French Open was “very important” to him. Must be nice to have that as a major life concern.
—Funny again that Borg says his one goal—now that, as the French interviewer informs him, he has “everything”—is to win Roland Garros one more time. Did he know he was going to call it quits within two years? Or was he just keeping his public goals modest? He certainly seems confident it's going to happen.
—The Roland Garros trophy has changed, obviously. I like the current one.
—Sounds like one of the people presenting the trophy is Henri Cochet. Very cool.
—After watching the clips at Wimbledon, it’s interesting to see Borg back in his element. As impressive as it was to watch him leave his comfort zone to dominate on grass, it’s mind-boggling to see how fully he had mastered the clay game. This was the last time anyone won the French without dropping a set until Nadal this year. But Borg is right in his post-match interview. He won by easy scores, but you can see from these points that it was still a grueling job. To be able to wear down other guys, to stay with them and then make one more shot, to show that kind of concentration and physical prowess six times in eight years is one of tennis’ great achievements.
The fact that we can mention Rafael Nadal’s name in the same breath as Borg’s on clay seems unbelievable after watching this. But we can. Click below for the proof, and for a comparison of dirtball 1980 and 2008. Clay tennis is faster and more explosive now, but it could never be any more demanding than it was in Borg’s day. By ’80, judging from Gerulaitis’ tactics and reaction at the end, it wasn’t just that no one could beat Borg on clay. I don’t think anyone even believed it was possible, or had the slightest idea how to begin. That’s dominance.
On Monday: The inevitable but still stunning fall of Bjorn Borg.