“Was McEnroe’s Career Defined by Epic Defeat to Borg?”

“Was McEnroe’s Career Defined by Epic Defeat to Borg?”

It’s a loss that still stings now. However, as the 55-year-old tennis great explains to Danny Scott, his career began when he lost a crucial match to Björn Borg.

“Why has he picked a photo from a match he lost?” is presumably what’s on your mind. This, however, was no ordinary match. I had never seen a Wimbledon final before.

I was raised in Queens, New York, not too far from Forest Hills, the site of the US Open back then; I’m not really sure why I started playing as a child. There, I even got to be a ball boy. Additionally, our house was only a block away from a tennis court, where I used to hang out.

I was a huge admirer of players like Björn, Rod Laver, and Ken Rosewall. When I first met him, I was probably 13 or 14 years old, and all these girls were hanging out outside the locker room. At that moment, I had the thought, “Hey, I want to win tennis tournaments professionally.”

My emotions escalated along with the bouts as I grew older and started climbing the rankings. I suppose my true emotions were concealed by my rage. Even while I can’t speak for everyone, I still detest losing. It was easier for me to yell than to cry when I did lose. It’s not like guys are meant to cry, is it? When I played my first Wimbledon in 1977, I advanced to the semifinals. There was pressure on me to reach the top as I was starting to win events.

I was playing pretty excellent tennis in 1980 when I finally made it to that final. Although Borg was a legendary player, I believed that it was my moment because I had some success against him.

It had been a challenging journey to the final. I was starting to feel tired since I had played Jimmy Connors in a five-set doubles match the day before. But I knew Wimbledon was mine after defeating Björn in the tie-break. I’m still baffled as to why I lost that match. Finally, the explanation for my choice of this picture. I was deeply impacted by losing that match, both personally and in terms of my future professional life. I realized I had to put in more effort after being set to triumph and having it taken away from me. I have to improve. However, when Björn collapsed to his knees at the conclusion,

That game taught me so much, including how to get back up and keep going with the belief that you can win. I imparted these life skills to my own children as they were growing up, and they benefited me in my job. Everyone has to know how to get over a setback and go on. Yes, I did lose to Borg in 1980, but I felt like I had won in every way bar the outcome. John has a match scheduled for December 3–7 at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the Statoil Masters Tennis.