This Date in Wimbledon History: July 2

Every morning during Wimbledon, we'll take a look back at a memorable match that occurred on that calendar day at the All England Club.

July 2, 1977: Bjorn Borg d. Jimmy Connors
Final; 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Defending champion Borg fought back from a two-set deficit to defeat Mark Edmonson in the second round before beating Vitas Gerulaitis in a classic five-set semifinal. Those matches prepared the second-seeded Swede for a battle with 1974 champion Connors, contesting the final for the third time in four years.

Connors’ flat strokes played well on grass as the ball stayed low, but Borg’s speed around the court and his ability to bend dipping passes from virtually any position helped him take offensive strikes on the run.

Entering the final with a 2-6 career record against Connors, Borg responded to losing the fourth set by bursting out to a 4-0 fifth-set lead. When he earned break points for a possible 5-0 advantage, the end appeared a foregone conclusion.

The top-seeded Connors had other ideas, roaring back to level the decider at 4-all.  The combative American was serving at 4-all, 15-0 when he double faulted—it was one point, but it changed the match in Borg’s mind.

“He was fighting every single point like a match point for Jimmy,” Borg said. “To beat Jimmy you have to play your best game. He came back to 4-all and he was serving 15-love and at that point I thought, ‘I’m gonna lose this match.’ But then he made a double fault. Maybe if he doesn’t double fault at 15-love, I think he’d probably win the championship.”

Instead, an emboldened Borg stopped his slide, broke serve, and served out the championship.