The tennis players Björn Borg

Björn Borg

Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...

 and John McEnroe

John McEnroe

John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...

 met 16 times during their careers with their on-court rivalry highlighted by their contrasting temperaments and styles. Borg was known for his cool and emotionless demeanor on court, while McEnroe was famed for his court-side tantrums. Their rivalry extended between 1978 and 1981, with each player winning eight times against the other. Because of their contrasting personalities, their rivalry was described as "Fire and Ice".

In 1980 McEnroe reached the men's singles final

1980 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Singles final

The 1980 Wimbledon Men's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the Men's Singles tournament at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships. In the final, Björn Borg defeated John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7, 8–6 to win the match...

 at Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...

 for the first time, where he faced Borg, who was aiming for an Open Era

Open era

Open era or Open Era may refer to:* Open Era , the period since 1968 where professionals can compete in Grand Slams* Glasnost era, the increased openness in the Soviet Union from the mid-1980s...

 record fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. At the start of the final McEnroe was booed by the crowd as he entered Centre Court

Centre Court

Centre Court is the main court at the Wimbledon Championship, the 3rd annual Grand Slam event of the tennis calendar. It is situated adjacent to Aorangi Terrace and is home to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Its only regular use is for the two weeks a year that the Championships take...

 following his heated exchanges with officials during his semi-final clash with Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors

James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....

. In a fourth set tie-breaker that lasted 20 minutes, McEnroe saved five match points and eventually won 18-16. However, he was unable to break Borg's serve in the fifth set and the Swede went on to win 8-6. This match is widely considered one of the greatest tennis matches ever played. McEnroe exacted his revenge by defeating Borg at the US Open final the same year in five sets.

In 1981 McEnroe returned to Wimbledon and again faced Borg in the men's singles final. This time it was the American who prevailed and defeated Borg to end the Swede's run of 41 consecutive match victories at the All England Club. At the US Open in the same season. McEnroe was again victorious, winning in four sets. Borg retired shortly afterwards, having never won the US Open, despite reaching four finals. Their final confrontation came in 1983 in Tokyo at the Suntory Cup, with Borg prevailing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Borg 9–7 McEnroe

No.	|Year	|Tournament	|Surface	|Round	|Winner	|Score
1	1978	Stockholm Stockholm Open The If Stockholm Open is a tennis event on the ATP Tour held in Stockholm, Sweden in the end of October or beginning of November each year. The organizer of the tournament is The Royal Lawn Tennis Club of Stockholm....	Hard	SF	McEnroe	6–3, 6–4
2	1979	Richmond	Carpet	SF	Borg	4–6, 7–6 (10-8), 6–3
3	1979	New Orleans	Carpet	SF	McEnroe	5–7, 6–1, 7–6 (8-6)
4	1979	Rotterdam ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the 500 series of the ATP Tour...	Carpet	F	Borg	6–4, 6–2
5	1979	Dallas	Carpet	F	McEnroe	7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6
6	1979	Canada (Montreal) Canada Masters The Canada Masters , currently sponsored as the Rogers Cup, is an annual tennis tournament held in Canada. The men's competition is a Masters 1000 event on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The women's competition is a Premier 5 tournament on the Women's Tennis Association tour...	Hard	F	Borg	6–3, 6–3
7	1980	New York City (1979)	Carpet	SF	Borg	6–7, 6–3, 7–6
8	1980	Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...	Grass	F	Borg	1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7 (16-18), 8–6
9	1980	US Open U.S. Open (tennis) The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...	Hard	F	McEnroe	7–6, 6–1, 6–7, 5–7, 6–4
10	1980	Stockholm	Carpet	F	Borg	6–3, 6–4
11	1981	New York City (1980)	Carpet	RR	Borg	6–4, 6–7, 7–6
12	1981	Milan	Carpet	F	McEnroe	7–6, 6–4
13	1981	Wimbledon	Grass	F	McEnroe	4–6, 7–6, 7–6, 6–4
14	1981	US Open	Hard	F	McEnroe	4–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3
15	1982	Sydney	Carpet	(Akai Gold Challenge Round Robin)	Borg	3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2
16	1983	Tokyo (Suntory Cup)	Carpet	F	Borg	6-4, 2-6, 6-2

Breakdown of their rivalry

• Hard courts: McEnroe, 3–1
• Clay courts: None
• Grass courts: Tied, 1–1
• Carpet courts: Borg, 6–3
• Grand Slam matches: McEnroe, 3–1
• Grand Slam finals: McEnroe, 3–1
• Year-End Championships matches: Borg, 2–0
• Year-End Championships finals: None
• Davis Cup matches: None
• All finals: McEnroe, 5–4